For what its worth, a road triple front chainring setup will be geared almost exactly like a MTB/hybrid setup. My Raleigh road bike with a triple is actually EASIER to climb with than either my Specialized hybrid with a double or my Diamondback MTB with a triple.

I agree with the other posters, 15mile one way on a cheap hybrid? No thanks. My commute is 7 miles one way and my hybrid began to hurt me fairly quickly. Now that I have my road bike I am far more comfortable on long rides.

EDIT: Remember, you dont HAVE to use the drops all the time. All bars are flat on top, and with interrupter levers you wont even be away from the brakes.