"Ritzel" can be translated as pinion Mike, but I'd probably translate it as gear or gearwheel here. Most of us probably understood the pinion reference anyway :) Reminds me a bit of teaching the youngest class at a Gymnasium (~grammar school for the English-speakers, not a gym as we understand it), who were fascinated by someone from another country speaking their language and the boys thought they would try and catch me out with technical car-related words, just what years of reading auto motor und sport had prepared me for! That display of car-related knowledge earned me many fizzy snakes the next day!
Definitely a Bund with a lot of issues around authenticity.