Gears slip I have a new Schwinn ranger. The gears do not shift properly. When going up hill the gears do not engage and contentiously slip. Not sure how to adjust gears. Marty

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Adjusting gears is a bit of an art. Let me see if I can give you the quick rundown. Lets focus on the rear set of gears.
1) shift the rear gears all the way down till they are in the smallest cog in the back.
2) line yourself behind the bike looking straight at the deraileur hanger and the small cog. (see this img - but do it to the smallest gear - http://www.mountain-bike-scotland.com/images/bikebay-gears8.gif)
3) The top pulley (jockey wheel) on the deraileur should line up with the smallest cog. If it doesn't, determine if it is to the left or right.
4) If the jockey wheel is to the left, that means that a) the cable is too tight or b) the deraileur stop is limiting it. First try to turn the cable barrel clockwise (while looking from the back of the bike). As you do this, does the deraileur start to drop. If so, good - line the jockey wheel up with the smallest cog. You should be good to go.
5) If this did nothing, then try to back off one of the two screws on the deraileur (phillips head). This should allow the deraileur to back down. If neither of these did the trick, they my essay here likely wont help. Else, your gears should be set. Now, get on and test ride the bike (helmet + a safe riding place). Shift the gear up just 1 click. If it caught, then you are good. If it tries to get up, but doesnt, go back to the deraileur adjuster barrel and turn it 90 degrees counterclockwise. Repeat the above step and turn 90 degrees each time till it goes smoothly. If you turn it more than 2 full turns, there is likley some other issue. Hope that helps...