Twas the night before Christmas Tucson bicycle style

This poem was written and submitted by Tucson Velo reader, Coghauler two years ago. Thanks to Cog and a very Merry Christmas to everyone.

‘Twas the night before Christmas and out on the street,
everybody was cycling and, man, was it neat!

The fixies were hopping at the stop signs with care,
coz TucsonBikeLawyer said the cops would be there!

El Grupo was racing, staying in a line straight.
Ignacio was beaming, saying, “Hey, ain’t they great?”

And Mom on her Surly and me on my Trek,
Were loaded with presents, trying hard not to wreck!

When over on 6th Street there came such a noise,
The whole group did a u-ie, but maintained their poise.

And over to Bicas they pedalled like crazy,
Three fell on the tracks saying, “Oh, woopsey-daisy”.

Into the lot the cyclists tore,
Looking this way and that to find out the score.

They just couldn’t figure, so gathered around
That one lowly window and here’s what they found.

One huge cargo bike and Eight La Supremas;
A ton of wholesale bicycle parts and the one we call Claus.

He spoke not a word and got real busy.
Just standing there watching made everyone dizzy.

He gave the wheels new tires and put the discount bike parts all in rows.
He oiled the chains and got grease on his nose.

He fixed all the Peugeots, the Raleighs and Schwinns;
put wheels on the racks and parts in the bins.

But before the Supremas gave the cargo a lift.
Lights, helmets and bells were the bikes’ final gift.

And he said as he left flying o’er the freight train,
“Merry Christmas to all and bikes may use full lane.”
source from blog:Twas the night before Christmas Tucson bicycle style

UCPMA gears up for India international cycle expo

United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), the major organisation representing the city's bicycle industry is gearing up for the annual India International bicycle expo to be held from February 22-24 here.
With a purpose to chalk out plans for the expo, a meeting of the managing committee of UCPMA was organized at the association's office at Gill Road on Tuesday evening.
President of UCPMA Gurmit Singh Kular said that the three-day exhibition by cycle and parts manufacturers would witness stalls from manufacturers from all across India and some other countries such as Taiwan, Holland and China.
He also said that the noticeable part of the expo this year was that national small industries corporation was extending a subsidy of Rs. 40, 000 per 9 square meter stall in the expo so the exhibitors will have to pay les than half of last years prices for talking part in the event.
The organisers have earmarked as many as 100 spots for the exhibitors in the ground of Government College for Girls and booking for the same is open.
Kular said that major participants in the event such as Hero cycles, Avon cycles, Neelam cycles, Vishivkarma cycles have already confirmed their participation.
Also, with a purpose to put a check on the membership in the organisation, the committee decided to seek self-declaration forms from all the members declaring the nature in which they are engaged in cycle industry.
Kular said that the self-declaration has been introduced to identify the persons who are UCPMA members but are nowhere related to cycle manufacturing industry. The members will be given 30 days notice to furnish the self-declaration in this connection.
More tags: bike parts wholesale, cheap bicycle parts

Slashed import tariffs bring cheap foreign brands to the middle class

A GIANT photo of a model in tiny underwear is in danger of causing car-crashes on a busy intersection in Mexico City. The billboard announces the arrival of H&M, a Swedish fashion retailer, which opened its first Latin American store in Mexico City on November 1st. A fortnight earlier Forever 21, an American chain, celebrated its debut in the country. That followed the first opening of a Mexican store by Gap, another American wholesale men clothing giant, in September. The new entrants promise high fashion at low prices: even more distracting than those skimpy H&M briefs is their miniature pricetag of 69 pesos ($5.30).
Affordable foreign fashion has been a long time coming to Mexico. Though it has more free-trade deals than any other country, it has kept high tariffs on clothes and shoes. When China joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001, Mexico imposed duties of up to 1,000% on Chinese goods to protect domestic clothesmakers. The result is that high-street fashion is still mostly home-grown.
The leading wholesale women dresses brand is a 78-year-old firm called Milano (which hails from Mexico City rather than Milan). The top shoemaker is Andrea, a 39-year-old company based in Guanajuato. Tellingly, malls in American border towns heave with middle-class Mexicans on clothes-shopping sprees.
Only a few foreign firms have broken through. Levi’s is the second-biggest clothing brand in Mexico, partly because its 501 jeans are made locally and are available cheaply. Zara, a Spanish chain, entered Mexico in 1992. Many of its products are made in or near Europe, which means that Mexico’s China tax has not hit it too hard.
Now duties are coming down, and the market is opening up. Having fallen slowly in recent years, they were slashed in December 2011, to around 20%. The lower tariffs have opened the door to retailers such as H&M, the suppliers of which are 80% Asian. H&M’s three-storey Mexican megastore stocks boots, dresses, sweaters and handbags made in China. The weekend queues at its tills are deep.
For Mexican manufacturers it is going to be hard to keep up with the fast-fashion model used by the likes of H&M, says Isabel Cavill of Planet Retail, a consultancy. Retailers such as Walmart are already threatening “give us a better price, or we go to China”, says Ysmael López García, head of the Footwear Chamber in Guanajuato, where most of Mexico’s 150,000 cobbling jobs are located. Imports of Chinese shoes have trebled this year, he says. His members’ profits are about a quarter lower than they were three years ago.
Mexican firms are fighting back by focusing on quality, where Mr López believes they can still beat China. Mexico’s shoe exports, most of which go to America, have edged up. As Chinese wages rise, foreign brands including Zara and Nike have sought suppliers in Mexico. Meanwhile, Mexico has complained to the WTO that China is illegally subsidising its clothes industry. It claims that America, the European Union and others are interested in joining the complaint, which may proceed to a dispute panel this month.
For years, Mexicans were forced to pick between two extremes. The poor shopped at informal street-markets. The rich shopped at costly chains such as El Palacio de Hierro (“The Iron Palace”), a store founded in 1891 to bring Parisian fashion to the posh ladies of the new world. The middle class had nowhere to go.
Those extremes are still there. The cheap but dowdy basics sold at street markets (often imported illegally from China) still account for 60% of Mexico’s china wholesale clothes business, according to Euromonitor, a research firm. But now that more and more Mexicans sport the label “middle class”, fashionistas are vying to clothe them.

What NOT to Wear to the Office Holiday Party

Let me guess: Your office holiday party is just around the corner, and you're kinda stressing over what to wear. To help narrow down your options, we've created this handy list of stuff your boss and colleagues should never, ever see you in.
It may be a festive event, but the office holiday party still has the word "office" in it--ie, maintaining professionalism is of the utmost importance (that goes for champagne consumption, too!). Here are some things to steer clear of, no matter what kind of environment you work in:

A CUTOUT DRESS: It doesn't matter how hard you've been working on your abs at the gym--your co-workers never need to see your bare midsection. Save a sexy number like this for your neighbor's cocktail fiesta.As wholesale men clothing

ANYTHING WITH A POLITICAL MESSAGE: You're there to spread some cheer and bond with your co-workers, not air your grievances about the 2012 election or start a rumble over reproductive rights. Save that stuff for the weekend, lady.

VISIBLE SKIVVIES: Do we adore the sheer trend? You better believe it. Do we endorse letting Raymond from accounting ogle your exposed bra all night? Not so fast, sister.

A BANDAGE SKIRT: Tugging at your hemline all night isn't just unladylike, it's unprofessional. Save the mircominis for the club and opt for a polished pencil skirt instead.

BODY GLITTER: Step away from the skin sparkles...
SHOES YOU CAN'T WALK IN: How are you going to schmooze with the VP of that department you've been dying to break into if you can't even hang by the punchbowl without a colleague to lean on? Uncomfortable fashion shoes wholesale from china aren't cool at any party, but they'll make you seem like an especially impractical person in front of people you're trying to appear just the opposite to.

Living in Style: What to wear this holiday season

Editor's Note: This is the first Living in Style segment with Style for Hire's Lisa Tumbarello. WTOP is teaming up with Lisa to share style tips, ladies wholesale clothes bargains and fashion do's and don'ts.
WASHINGTON - It's the holiday season, and odds are you're going to be invited to an office party, family dinner or holiday celebration with friends. Of course, the main question is what to wear?
Lisa Tumbarello, from the personal stylist group Style for Hire, offers tips to make you look great and feel comfortable among your co-workers or that special someone. WTOP met Lisa at Banana Republic at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md. where she showed us this year's holiday trends.
Check out the photo gallery for style ideas and read Lisa's holiday fashion tips below.
Leave the Santa sweater in your closet.
That is, unless you are having an ugly sweater party at your house. Then it's totally OK to show off your prancing reindeer.
Go for the sequins.
There are lots of sequins out there right now as well as metallic sweaters and cardigans. Just that little bit of shine is appropriate for daytime or the evening, Lisa says. Wear it to the office or when picking up the kids after school and you still look appropriate.
Keep the shape simple.
V-neck, boat neck and scoop neck sweaters are the most flattering on anyone.
Invest in the basics.
Cardigans are always a good idea because you can layer them over something basic like a white T-shirt. If you are on a tight budget, you could pull out a pair of nice jeans you already have. But if you are going to invest in one thing, invest in an elegant sweater.
"Unlike that ugly holiday sweater that has the reindeer on it … this is definitely something you can use throughout the entire season," Lisa says. "It doesn't have to be resigned just for holiday parties."
More on Lisa: mens clothes china wholesale
Lisa Tumbarello was personally chosen for Style for Hire by TLC's "What Not to Wear" Stacey London.
"I have a very down-to-earth, practical approach to style," Lisa says. "My knowledge of mainstream brands and budgeting techniques helps clients get the most bang for their buck without compromising quality. I appreciate great style on any budget and thrive at helping women realize their true beauty and reach their style potential."