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Fancy bike has an infinite number of gears

nuvinci.jpg

You're probably used to bikes with a fixed number of gears. You know, like a 21-speed bike or a 14-speed bike. But this fancy-pants bike dubbed "The Ride" has an infinite number of gears. Yep, infinite. How?

Twist a dial on the handlebar, and ball bearings in the bike’s NuVinci transmission tilt between two rotating metal discs. (Your pedaling turns one disc; the other transfers power to the rear wheel.) As the balls tilt, they touch the discs at varying angles. This changes how fast the wheel spins relative to your pedaling—slowly for low gear ratios, where pedaling is easy but the wheel doesn’t turn much, and quickly for high ratios. The balls can roll to almost any angle, giving you precise control over the bike’s torque (and your exertion).
It's not exactly a new idea &#mdash; DaVinci sketched something similar way back in the 1490's, hence the contraption being dubbed the NuVinci. It won't run you cheap, however, with the bike costing a serious $3,000 to $4,000. I'll stick to just 21 speeds, thanks.

Oh Gizmo!, via Geekologie

 
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