Originally Posted by cny-bikeman

Still not clear. Does the gear shifter (on the handlebar) not stay in position, and therefore shifts the hub to 2nd gear, or does the shifter remain in the 1st gear position but the hub shifts out of 1st gear anyway? The first problem is with the shifter, unless you have adjusted the cable far too tightly. The 2nd problem points to hub adjustment or an internal problem with the hub.

Originally Posted by JohnDThompson

I have a shifter that no longer reliably stays in 1st gear. I can shift into 1st, and it works fine until I hit a bump, upon which it pops up to 2nd gear. It's not too tight; if I loosen the cable enough to prevent the jumping, I no longer get 1st gear at all. It's not the hub or indicator rod, as I've tried two different hubs and the same thing happens, but they work fine in my wife's bike. I assume it's just half a century of wear & tear on the shifter. I don't feel like coughing up the $$$ for a NOS shifter or taking a chance with a used and possibly similarly worn shifter, so on bumpy roads I ride with my finger holding the shifter in 1st gear.