Shyheels

I am a fan of the old-style quill touring pedal, either with or without the Christophe toe clips. They are metal but with ridged tops that give you quite good 'footing', at least with regular shoes. I am guessing that most stilettos, being dress shoes (or boots) would have rather smoother leather soles. They would probably get traction on a quill pedal, but rather uncertain traction, and at any rate the gripping surface of pedal would probably scuff up the sole of the shoe more than you might want. 

I have never gone over to the more modern clipless pedal, where your cleated cycling shoe is clicked onto the pedal. But for those (the majority of cyclists these days) who have I have actually seen high-heeled cycling shoes, something that would seem to redefine the notion of impracticality in footwear. Being clipless, and locked onto the pedal, they would certainly prevent your heel from straying into the drive train, but they were tremendously ugly and obviously designed to prove a point.

Bore

Inconsiderate

I have seen, in London, women commuters, dressed for the office, cycling very elegantly in heels - not as high as the ones Aristoc is wearing, but 3-4" stilettos, high enough to matter. Obviously people do it and do it regularly without coming to grief.   I have never worn stilettos in my life, let alone cycled in them, so I may be talking through my hat, but I do know bicycles and it would not take much of a lateral shift in your foot or ankle to send the heel into the chain. It would worry me.

But then perhaps I have too much imagination and ability to visualise. It is what makes me a very cautious descender on high mountain passes!

Sadder still...apparently he shot himself. The coroner has officially ruled his death a suicide. 

I do an awful lot of cycling - touring mainly, and have ridden around 300,000 miles all told thus far - and from what I understand the ideal saddle height should have your knees bent at about 25 degrees or slightly more at the bottom of the pedal stroke. So Aristoc looks about right to me. 

Not so sure of the wisdom in riding in stilettos, though. It would seem awfully easy to me for the spike heel to find its way into, or onto, the whirring chain, or into the front derailleur, or getting caught on the port side of the big chain ring.

There are wines however, typically reds, that do cellar well and improve, sometimes greatly, with age.  I happen to have lived many years in one of the world's great wine making regions and was fortunate enough to have met and talked with some very well known winemakers. Ageing, or cellaring, is not all BS, any more than it would be BS that some vintages of wine are better than others. I fid far more wines these days have screw tops than rubberised 'corks'.

Aforethought

Better for the wine too

Wonderland

There is indeed a global shortage of cork, for precisely the reasons stated above...

Seasons

Ah...I am more with you now. Or more awake at any rate.  Yes, I am certainly familiar with Fanfare for The Common Man - I just hadn't realised Emerson, Lake and Palmer were the ones behind it.

Only vaguely familiar with the guy, I'm afraid. Comes of growing up elsewhere, with different touchstones...

Ecclesiastes

Time

Sickle

Thor

Hornet

Sting

Moneylender

Ogden

Passerine

Oil

Ensign