My husband and I are just getting back in bicycling after a few years hiatus. I had injured one of my knees on my trusty old mountain bike and developed carpal tunnel in my wrists from my job as a graphic designer. I type - alot! But after recovery I felt that the mountain bike was just too heavy for our paved rides. So we decided that a hybrid was a good choice for me and purchased a Giant Innova. It has the front end shock absorbers - awesome. But after not riding for so long it felt very scary to me too. My mountain bike was a good solid ride and I knew it so well. But the hybrid seemed odd at first and I too found that I was gripping the handlebars much too tightly and did not feel in control of the bike. Well I can honestly say that time and riding is paying off as I am now getting more confident in my bike. I have picked up speed and we are training on “Florida hills” - lengthy bridges, and some of our local, beautiful paved trails and the bike handles very well now. I still have issues with mounting and dismounting, but that will get better with time and experience too. I reached one of my mini-goals today and got in a 20 mile ride with no problems! Good luck to you as you get more acquainted with your new ride and I would say just give it time. Joining a local bike club is a great idea too. They usually have a nice mix of experienced and inexperienced riders and are very supportive.