Lord of the (Gear) Ring

New York City-based design company Kinekt Design has come up with an ingenious item, that is "complex enough to play with, yet simple enough to wear," as they say. They call it the Gear Ring, and as you can see in the video below, it is something you can both wear and play with.

The Gear Ring is made from high quality matte stainless steel. It has six small gears that turn in unison when the outerparts of the ring are spun (as can be seen in the video). If you have a gearing engineer--or just a gearhead--in your life, this could be a cool gift. (We're almost tempted to give this gift to ourselves!)

New Helical Gear System in the Shimano Alfine 11 Speed

Shimano has released a new iteration of its Alfine 11-speed internal gear hub. I know some of us at here are cyclists, and so we thought we'd share some news about this exceptional new hub (it's lighter than the previous iteration's 8-speed version!) If you think about it, bicycles are really one of the most pure, commonly known examples of gearing.

Singletrack, a mountain bike blog, does a good job breaking down the Alfine 11-speed hub,

This hub gear will run super smooth thanks to the use of a completely new helical gear system. Helical gears feature an angled teeth profile that engage more gradually compared to spur (or straight-cut) profiles, resulting in a more smooth and quiet shift. This hub gear also features an improved durability by the use of an oil lubricant instead of grease.

It's interesting (to say the least) to see helical gears used in bicycle gearing. You're so used to seeing spur gears that it's disorienting. But since there's increased surface area in a helical gear set-up, you would expect a smoother, less slippery shifting profile. I'm excited to see helical gears used more often in bicycles (and everywhere).

Gearing up for Valentine's Day

Just in time for Valentine's Day, build your sweetie something that shows your love (and your love for gears). This admittedly odd video from Japan shows a heart someone has made--out of gears. Whether you enjoy its technical ingenuity or ponder its deeper implications about romance and relationships, it's an undeniably cool creation.