I'm so sorry to hear about your seat hurting you. After 50 plus years of riding my regular seat with nose gave me a severe case of prostatitis. This led me to noseless seats which I am now riding with no ill affects. The reason for the prostatitis was misadjustment of the tilt after dropping my handlebar height. I raced on road for years and used shoes and cleats and later SPD pedals but don't use them now. Your lack of confidence with clipping into SPD pedals is natural. SPD pedals can be adjusted to allow a very easy clip in but won't hold your foot very strongly. This easy adjustment would allow you to clip and unclip very easily. Over time the SPD pedal can be tightened up to where more power can be put into your pedaling. As for people passing you on the trail whether you are on a hybrid or a full on carbon racing bicycle doesn't mean much. You are exercising and that is the main take away. If you are in some sort of keeping up with the Jones's then getting faster on the bicycle may be what you are more about. Neither of the above reasons are a wrong reason. Whatever gets you out and riding is a good thing. The technical problems you are having with your new bike need tending to. You seem to favor a larger frame than what you presently have. This means that possibly the handlebar unit is a bit too close to you. A longer stem is quite easily installed if that will put you at the proper and comfortable body angle. I never found longer stems to make the steering any worse so this fix is one I would recommend. Another problem can be that the handlebar unit is too low due to the smaller frame. Raising the handlebar is not that hard to do. Sometimes on newer bikes they left some extra steerer tube and you can put spacers under your stem and raise it. If not then a new stem that raises the handlebar unit can be installed to bring the bars up to where you are comfortable. Keep in mind these problems may have cropped up if you put drop handlebars on your hybrid also. Since you are so very comfortable on your hybrid you might put the SPD pedals on that bicycle with them adjusted loose and get more comfortable on them before putting them on your drop bar bicycle. The seat issue needs to be tended to. I am happy with a noseless seat made in Canada called The Spongy Wonder. Terrible name but a first rate product and it works well. Does not touch the pernium on a man nor any tender parts of a woman. No more numbness and injury. Keep riding, you are doing so well.