You sound overwhelmed to me, but also really excited, which is cool! The very first time I got onto my bike, WHILE I WAS STILL TEST RIDING IT IN THE PARKING LOT OF THE STORE, I crashed. I figured since the thing I was scared of had already happened, I would go for it. I loved that bike, and it got me over the early stages of overcoming fear. I also was really hard on it, learning to shift right, etc. It is a "fitness bike" which I found to be a great intermediary between mtn and road, and is more like a road bike than a hybrid is. It wasn't too scary or aggressive or expensive, and I rode it for two years. That said, I just plunked down my deposit for a full carbon road bike! I am still scared of that road bike, but I am SO much farther along now, and I could not have bought a road bike right out the starting gate. And if my fitness bike had fit a little better, I may not even have been so tempted to make the change. I just left a post elsewhere about how great powergrips are as an intermediary step towards clipless pedals, too. Baby steps are what got me to where I am today, and proud of it! Good luck to you! Let us know how things go!