7 speed bike / 5 speed shifter handle

[6716]

So I picked up a newer Schwinn Jaguar off of craigslist for my son.

This is the first bike I've had around in probably 30 years.

The guy I bought it from pointed out that he had replaced the broken stock 7-speed shifter handle with a 5-speed shifter handle. It rides fine and everything else seems to work. The kid wanted it so we brought it home.

I notice that first gear on the shifter is on the third largest sprocket.

Effectively the bike is set up for gears 3-7 at the moment. If I wanted to gear it down is there a way to set it to go from 2-6 or 1-5? Or is that the natural order of things that you work up from the smallest sprocket on the cassette and work your way up?

The kid is happy enough with it at the moment so it isn't an urgent thing.

I also see that I can buy a 7-speed shifter on line. Is there any magic to selecting the right one of those if I were to look at replacing the shifter?

Thanks

[DaveM]

You should be able to change the gears it's hitting. You would need to adjust the "limit screws" on the derailleur so it can travel across the range you want and then you'll need to tighten up the cable tension to take any slack created when you move the first gear that it will sit on. If you look at basic videos on how to adjust a rear derailleur, it should cover what is needed. You are just adjusting the limits to something other than the absolute biggest and smallest gears.

If you want to get a shifter, most likely it takes a Shimano compatible, 7-speed shifter. If you google that, you'll find stuff starting at around $20. You only need the right hand shifter if it only has rear gears. Can't absolutely promise this will work, but it's the most common set up by far.