According to the National Weather Service, the 2008 winter solstice arrives today at 1204 UTC, or 0704 Eastern Standard Time. In other words, it’s astronomical midwinter. It’s a day I look forward to every year, because on this day the season of long shadows and lengthy dark nights begins to reverse itself.

 
I shot this photo yesterday evening as the sun sank over the nearly frozen river. I don’t know when I’ll see the sun again. Today it’s snowing here in the northern foothills of the Adirondacks. Up to a foot of snow is expected before this storm heads out tomorrow morning, but then squalls will continue for another day. It’s been a dreary wet season, so it’s good to know that the sun is heading back north, even if it’s so often masked by clouds.

 
There are plenty of good reasons to outfit your bike with lights fore and aft—to be seen in inclement weather, to be seen during dawn and dusk, and to be seen and to see after dark. Mounting one or more lights up front when you outfit your bike with a handlebar bag can be a challenge, though. Here’s an example:

 
My ‘bar bag sticks up above the level of my handlebar, so mounting a light on the bars wouldn’t make sense. Various accessory bars are available which would provide a platform for mounting a headlight, but each has its drawbacks. Is all hope lost for mounting a light up front, then? Nope. What about mounting a light on the fork? Good idea!

The Surly Long Haul Trucker and other bikes are supplied with braze-on points on the fork:

 
A red circle marks the location of the left-side braze-on, which happens to be a great spot to place a light mount, though the right side would better illuminate the shoulder and road edge. With the light mounted low to the ground the way ahead is better lit, and though the light is lower than it would be on the handlebar, drivers can still see it.

Several manufacturers make mounts which screw into fork braze-ons or clamp to the fork. Some folks can’t resist doing it themselves, though, and I’m one of them. That’s why I was intrigued when I read about a DIY light mount on the Surly Long Haul Trucker & Cross-Check Owners Group not long ago. Tobie DePauw, of North Central Cyclery , came up with an elegant and easily made light mount using parts most enthusiasts have on hand in their spare parts boxes. Here’s a picture of Tobie’s light mount, shown on the right-side fork of a Long Haul Trucker sporting the new Truckaccino cream color:

 
Photo reprinted with the kind permission of Tobie DePauw

 
Even if you have to buy the parts specifically for this mount, they’re not expensive. Here’s Tobie’s parts list for a DIY variation of the Paul Gino light mount:

• • 1 20mm headset spacer
• • 2 headset caps (one on each end of the spacer)
• • 1 washer
• • 1 bolt.

 
Tobie made this mount with carbon parts for fun, but for an even more economical version, you could build yours with aluminum parts. Once your mount is installed, just clamp your headlight to the mount, aim it, and ride off into the gathering dark with confidence.

 
Thanks to Tobie for permission to reprint his photo and technique. To read NCC’s blog, click here.

 
I’ve been a keen birdwatcher since I was about 10 years old, but without a field guide to help me, many birds would have remained nameless unknowns. My curiosity about the natural world goes far beyond bird identification. I use my library of field guides and natural history books every day, whether I’m paddling, hiking, or cycling—or just staring out the living-room window. If you’re an enthusiastic birder or amateur naturalist, you’ll know what I mean, and you’ll probably have many favorite guidebooks of your own. But if you’re just starting out, a few examples drawn from my library might not go amiss. Find the titles here…