I have a friend with a Giant Rapid. It's light, and it's fairly fast. I'm sure it could be faster with lighter wheels and 23mm tires. He has had the bike for 2 months. He would like to take it back to the bike shop and get a road bike. His intention is to do longer distance rides of 100-200 miles. The flat bar is not ideal for that and he has found that out rather quickly. This is the commuting forum, and for commutes of less than 15 miles one-way, I think that a flat bar bike is fine.