Originally Posted by
deeth82
A lot of your discomfort probably comes from A) being on an aluminum frame (they take bumps a bit more stiffly than steel
That's pure superstition. Read
http://www.63xc.com/scotn/metal.htm
For what it's worth, part of my commute (about 1.7 miles of 7.5) is on roughly-paved gravel, and I feel the difference in every ride when I decide to take the Tourist over my regular steel Racer.
This is because there are other differences between the bikes - wheelbase, fork trail, tube diameter, tube wall thickness, fork design, rider position - not because one is steel and one is alu.
If the OP can't fit the 35s on her(?) rims - and it is very unusual for a hybrid to come with rims that don't allow the fork and stay width to be used - then I suggest he/she try lowering the pressure of the current tyres towards the bottom of their recommended range.