as you guys know, i live close to florian (10km), so i’m there sometimes and i like him as a good person… the factory is a small kind of garage workshop, not a big company, and armin, i think you’ve been there too, they work hard, and sure sometimes he’s slow on the computer, but that’s the way it goes, otherwise we have to order our hubs in taiwan or where-ever… 
threads like that made florian quit reading this forum 
Of course Florian is a wonderful guy. And his hub is such a significant addition to our little sport. I couldn’t stress the amount I appreciate this enough. And the fact that he goes to the trouble of producing these complicated devices for such a limited market. That’s incredible.
But: I expect to get some sort of feedback to important questions like:
- Did you receive the hub yet?
- How long is the expected waiting time approximately?
- Could you ship the replacement to the following address?
- etc
If there’s not the slightest answer for several weeks, that leaves the customer totally clueless. Not a very comfortable position, when you just spent half a fortune on this fantastic hub and had to send it back to Switzerland after having used it only once or twice before it broke…
Having to wait for the replacement is one thing. I could accept that. But then the least thing to be expected is some sort of a status report upon request.
Of course this whole bearing problem is a disaster for Florian as well.
He must feel terrible about it. And I believe he is working hard on improving the hubs in every possible way to get them closer to perfection.
But still I think he should take his correspondence a lot more seriously. That’s absolutely vital for his businesses reputation.
For sure yeah, the buttons aren’t compatible. Florian mentioned the diameter of the shifter shaft ends was reduced from 5mm to 4mm in order to get more material for the button i.e. make the buttons more robust.
No doubt it’s a bummer there have been some glitches with hubs along the way but in my view Florian has been more than generous in how he has handled that. Be patient. Once you start to get uptight about unicycling stuff, it’s probably time for a reality check.
I think people have a right to be uptight about failures of a $1,300 piece of equipment when four or five good unicycles can be purchased for that price.
I guess to a point… but the temptation is to go too far, too fast, do a Micheal Douglas and ‘stand up for your rights as a consumer’ without giving due consideration for the people behind the products.
I’ve been as a guilty of that as anyone at times but am working on it. It was disappointing to have problems with the hub initially - buying it was a big $ deal - but hey I chose to buy the hub knowing its complexity, and chose to support a small company making custom low volume products. If that means waiting and inconvenience sometimes, then really I’ve got to roll with it.
I can’t point the finger at anyone for delays in answering emails, my inbox has stuff from 2007 I haven’t even read yet and probably never will!
Anyways, my hub #226 is going great ATM. My left leg is a bit beaten up though so I haven’t ridden for a couple of weeks and am starting to get cabin fever. I wish I could buy four or five spare legs! 
I admire Florian for the way he is dealing with the hub upgrades. I understand that there are teething problems with the first generation of any product and have been willing to go through the process of shipping it half way around the world to be fixed. I am disappointed, however, with his communication on repairs. According to my shipping tracking code my hub arrived in Switzerland a month ago and i have not heard anything form him at all. You must admit that is a little disconcerting when it is something that I have spent my years savings on. It would only take a minute or two to allay peoples concerns about their investment. I really love the Schlumpf hub and want them to sell well. It opens up so many possibilities for riding but a little effort in the communication department would keep his customers so much happier.
Mark
It’s sad to hear so many negative comments. So far I sent him three e-mails and couldn’t be happier about his response times, the longest being five hours, the shortest being two minutes.
I sincerely hope he can handle all the critique (and improve with it) and keeps producing and improving this amazing hub, despite it being low volume, time consuming and obviously a lot of trouble (as can be expected from the first such product on the market).
to good, not to bad
when I reed this thread I suppose the problem is that the Schlumpf Hub is to good;)
there are so many people who want hubs that there is a problem to serve all of them in just in time.
If there where serious problems with the hub no one would order them.
so we all want them and we just have to wait.
Its an excellent hand made part and that causes some problems you wouldn´t have with ordinary stuff.
If you order a ferrari you will have more problems and need much more time for delivery and service than with an audi.
to change things the better way needs some time.
Just see it as an honor to get a schlumpf and calm down.
we need this master of his trade and we should make it easy for him. - than it will be easy for us.
Hi Jogi, I don’t think that anybody wants to make it difficult for Florian and you can read that everybody really respects and loves his high quality products and understands his situation.
But I have to agree with Munirocks.
Just imagine you have a severe Problem with your Ferrari, need to ship it back to the factory, and they do not confirm that it has arrived. Would you be happy?
It is just that small piece of (missing) communication, which can have a big impact. And I would hope that Florian can take the comments as constructive feedback.
For sure I want him to continue his business - I am already saving money for a second hub, some time next year…
good news (for me at least) from Florian tonight. My hub should be on its way back to me within the week which is a relief (will have my best unicycle set up ready to go for Unicon). Plus i get a complimentary laser etching on it- i’m just going to get my name engraved on it for the sake of security.
Have you heard back yet about your hub Munirocks?
mark.
Yes, I got another personal reply after all that kind of explained the situation a little more.
And today I got the same “good news” e-mail as you did. 
I’m really looking forward to riding the geared 36er again!
About the laser etching I haven’t made up my mind yet.
It would be good to have my name on it in case it got stolen , but on the other hand, if I ever wanted to sell it that would be a disadvantage for the new owner.
I think I’ll do it, though. 
phew. been a long time since I’ve been around here, but I’m chiming in because of this whole long wait issue.
just got an email from florian this morning about the new hubs, and I was frankly at the end of my rope with regards to mine, and I am normally quite a patient person. However the hub had been out for repair since I believe the end of May until now, which is a very long time to wait without even a hint as to when the thing would be ready.
the only thing that I had a problem with was the lack of updates as to when I might expect them. if I had been told in may, or even in september, that I would have to wait until mid-november to get my hub, I would have been way less frustrated with the whole thing.
that said, I am beside myself that it’s finally getting shipped back to me. I can start real training for UNICON! might even order a new seat to celebrate…
woooooo!
I just took my geared 26er apart in order to do a little maintenance after that very muddy ride a couple of days ago.
Taking off the shift buttons turned out to be a real PITA. The mud had gotten into the threads and also clogged up the inside of those tiny hex screws that tighten the buttons to the shifting shaft.
I could hardly get them to move at all after trying to get the dirt out with a thick needle.
The trouble is that you can’t see how much dirt is in those tiny screws way deep in there. Maybe some longer and larger screws would be an improvement?
When I finally succeeded at getting the little hex screws out I dropped one of them. Thank goodness I found it again.
Then I cleaned all screws as good as I could with WD40.
I’m wondering what could be done to keep the dirt from getting inside the shift buttons. I thought maybe I should put some sort of tape over the hole.
But I don’t think that would stay there for any length of time…
Has anyone else had similar experiences with mud or dirt in there?
Any suggestions for a solution other than “don’t ride in mud”?
If you brought your button to somewhere that sells threaded rod or something of that sort, you might be able to find a grub screw or something similar that could sit in the hole where dirt builds up. I have also in the past put white grease in little holes in my unicycles that might collect salty water during the winter and start to rust (they put so much salt on the roads here, it’s ridiculous). White grease is very thick and will stay where you put it, and also keep water out if you get it in there right.
Thanks for your input, Dave.
I think I’ll try to get some screws that fit in there.
They would have to be the same kind of hex screw as the tiny ones already in there.
Because I have to be able to get them out again and they shouldn’t stick out.
If I can’t find any screws like that I’ll consider the grease solution.
how about Blu Tack? if you don’t know the name, it’s a reusable adhesive you should be able to get it or something similar from any stationery* shop. just put a small ball of it in and when you want to clean / adjust you can pull it out using more blu tack or a needle. Much cheaper than Dave’s idea too.
- or stationary, I’m feeling dyslexic this morning…
What’s about silicone (that stuff you use in the bathroom etc…)? Fill part of the hole with a small piece of paper, to prevent filling the screw with silicone, and then cover it with a small amount of silicone. It should be easy to pull out the silicone. I didn’t try it though, because I don’t use my Schlumpf in the mud.
You guys really have some scary ideas.
I’m not so sure I want to be first at trying them out.
Sounds like there would be a good chance of messing up the thread with sticky stuff like that.
Thinking about this again, I come to the conclusion that no sticky stuff may be needed. Just take a small piece of cling-film, maybe 3 cm x 3 cm, and push it into the hole with the backside of a needle. I guess it will stay in place. That should already be a good protection against dirt. And it can be removed very easily because it isn’t sticky at all.
This seems like a problem a strategically placed piece of electrical tape could solve.