congrats on the new bike. I recently went through the same thing buying a road bike after a 30 yr. layoff in that area. I had the advantage of having a friend from a LBS help me with the purchase and setup of the my bike (I bought online as well). I did, on his advice, practice in my driveway just getting into and out of my spd clips. I held onto my car and just clipped in and out for a while until it felt natural. My first ride went well until the very end when I was comfortable and became involved in the scenery and came to a complete stop completely forgetting about my clips. I slowly fell over while trying desperately to pull out my foot. I fell sideways into the street directly into a stopped police car. I felt stupid but lesson learned. Riding in the streets was a bit intimidating at first. I just planned my routes with limited traffic first to give me a break in period. I actually scouted routes to ensure road conditions and traffic levels were good. It's only been two months but I'm much more comfortable. I still don't like an 80,000 lb semi rig going by at 60 mph only a couple of feet away but I try to stay visible (bright shirts, etc) and do what is expected of me (ie hold my lanes and don't dart around). Ride safe and enjoy the new bike.