Reddit reviews Diamondback 9/16-Inch Spindle Resin/Alloy Bicycle Pedals with Toe Clips and Straps, Black/Silver

Correct. Using these for the time being. I have a clipless set on order which should be arriving next week!

>...am I better off getting a cheap used road bike to see if I like it...?

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Honestly, it sounds like you and I are coming from the exact same place. So I'm going to answer this with a conditional yes. That condition is this: I may be biased. I say that because that's what I did and I'm VERY happy with it. Now, I truly do prefer my 37 yo 10-speed over my hybrid any day of the week... but I pretty much only ride on paved roads. I currently ride on these tires but I used to ride on these, which worked well for local hardpack trails and nearby greenways. So it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

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I checked out the Rochester Criagslist (since you linked to it, I assume that's you area) for some older road bikes, and there are quite a few available, but many of them are $200+. Occasionally you can find one like this one for $20. That's cheap enough that you can get a new seat (the originals were like medieval torture devices), pedals (I like these), brake levers, cables, chain, etc. all for under ~$100. (Of course, I also would do my own servicing of the bottom bracket, which saves the cost of an LBS doing it.)

Then I'd give it two weeks' worth of riding to see how it feels. If you don't like it, then you're out $100 and you post the upgraded and improved bike back on Craigslist for $200-300 like most people seem to. Then turn those profits into upgrades for your hybrid.

If you decide to keep the hybrid, but are uncomfortable with drop bars, you may want to consider butterfly bars. If I hadn't made the move to a road bike, I would have done this with my hybrid just to have more hand position options.

I use these on my commuter so I have the choice of wearing cycling shoes or just any shoe depending on where/what I'm riding to.

http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bike/en/home/mtb1/pedals/pedals/pd-m324.html

Another option if they want something more secure than just a platform are toe cages like this. You should be able to find those at any local bike store or even a general sporting goods store like Dick's.

Diamondback has a good pair of pedals w/ cages for around $20 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MJYQ1Y4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1