Originally Posted by berlinonaut

This ist the way the shifting works. It is normal.



Three speed hubs are pretty solid in general. They have been in the market for more than 100 years and I'd assume a relevant percentage of the riders over that time was at least a bit ignorant towards how they like to be treated. Either they work (which they do most of the time) or they don't (which does not seem to be the case with your bike). Just relax, these thingies are pretty much bomb-proof. Treat it nicely from now on and it will serve you well for a very long time.