Hi,
As I mentioned in the title I am new to biking. At my late years in life I have not had a bike since I was 12 when I used one to ride to school.
Now 50 years later I have 'retired' with time on my hands and recently acquired an old Raleigh from my father's shed when he died recently. He had not used the bike for a few years, and the bike I believe is about 15 years old - but still in good enough condition for me to use as a means of excercise. Here it is:




I know the bike is not worth anything in terms of resale and I cannot afford to spend a lot on it (retirement income being what it is), but I would like to continue using it for sentimental reasons.

I have had it out a few times and it rides well enough EXCEPT for one problem.

The rear derailleur is a 7 speed Shimano Altus




and this is the problem area.

There is a 3 Gear front mechanism, and whatever front gear I use, the rear mechanism always seems to miss gear 2 (ie the second smallest cog) when I change up.

Changing down is not a problem as all 7 gears engage.
Changing up from 1 - 2 has no effect, and cog 2 engages only when I set the gear lever to 3. The cogs are then engaged out of step by 1 until I change up to 7 - at which point 6 engages briefly then jumps to 7.

I find this difficult to understand as the rear derailleur appears to move position correctly through all 7 gears, it is just that the chain does not move correctly from 1 -2.
(NOTE: If I change down to 3, then back up to 7 the chain moves between the cogs as it should).

So assuming I have explained it well enough, if anyone has any idea what may be the cause of the problem, or what I should investigate further to try and identify the problem, I appreciate hearing.

Thanks