This is an 80's bike with Shimano Index shifters originally on an older wheel and 6 speed freewheel. The wheel had seen better days, spoke nipples were all threaded and didn't tighten well so I could never get them true. No real reason to change to a 6 speed, other than to not have the extra cog that doesn't get used. Bike rides and shifts decently, going up the 6 cogs. More for esthetics i guess than anything.