I've got about 100 miles on my new Sirrus Elite, and I love the bike. Love it! I ride mostly MUPs and suburban side streets with a few hills but mostly flat. Lots of wind, however, to make up for the lack of hills!
The bike came with a 9 speed cassette: 11-32, and the crankset is 48/36/26.
I find myself riding in the large ring almost all the time, just occasionally dropping to the middle ring (particularly when fighting a head wind). Now, I'm not a speedster - I average about 13-15 mph on these rides (there are few other riders or pedestrians on the path). I also use the small ring once in a while on streets if I encounter hills. If not for that, I'd never use the small ring.
Is that a good use of these gear ratios or would I benefit from a different crankset? My road bike, which I'm not riding at the moment, is a compact double 36/52 and I rode it mostly in the smaller ring, if memory serves. But now, my 36 ring makes me feel like I'm spinning too much.