Originally Posted by tyranno
1. The Sturmey-Archer hub slips out of third gear. I'm willing to take it to my local bike shop rather than risk screwing the whole thing up. Since I'm such a novice, is that the smart choice? Should I just go for it and see what happens? (I assume there's a lot more to it than just taking the thing apart and putting it back together, which is my usual way of approaching new toys.)
When it slips, does it suddenly freewheel or go back to second gear? In both cases, it might just be a case of adjusting the indicator pull a bit. If you haven't already found it, Sheldon Brown has lots of valuable info on care and feeding of Sturmey Archer 3-speed hubs:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/sturmey-archer.html
Overhauling the hub can often mean just pulling out the internals, cleaning them off, and them reassembling. Worst case, you have a worn clutch, a very replaceable part.
As far as your LBS, unless they've been around for a long, long time, I'd be surprised if they knew what to do with a 3-speed hub. Hopefully, I'm wrong if you decide to go that route.
Neal