There's the problem with old road bikes. It's nice that they can take wider tires but indexed shifting didn't start to show up on road bikes until the mid to late 80's, - the same time their popularity started to tank as Mountain bikes came into vogue.

As a result you just don't see that many 80's road bikes with indexed shifting, there just weren't that many sold.

Not that friction shifters don't have their advantages, they do, but typically not for folks who aren't serious cyclists.

I think we need to be careful when we recommend an old road bike for someone who's looking for a speedier ride that what they get from their hybrid.