The Sirrius received a good write up in a bike rag over here due to it being fairly well specd and being pretty light. They are called speed bikes here - having narrower tyres than a hybrid - sometimes even as low as 20. They are basically built around a racing frame anyway - check out the gap between the rear wheel and the seat tube.
The only difference is the flat handlebars. A good tip for anyone who cannot make their minds up between a MTB and a Hybrid. Go out and buy a 29' MTB (Gary Fisher or Nishiki) with fairly good spec (LX or XT) then buy an extra set of 27' wheels with narrow road tyres for road training. Hey presto! Two bikes in one.!
