sirrus_black

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Stomper

I'm no expert, but I prefer to ride a hybrid with wider tires and greater tread (and perhaps a suspension fork) when I know I will be encountering pot holes. The Sirrus Sport should be able to handle wider wheels with tread. Good luck with the upgrade on a nice bicycle.

badger1

OP, given your weight, your desire to load the bike, and the road conditions you describe, I'd simply go ahead (I'm assuming you're otherwise happy with the bike) and order up a set of handbuilt touring wheels.
This need not be overly expensive at all. You'd want a good touring rim, 36 hole (front and rear), built onto good hubs (e.g. Shimano 105 or better [or equivalent]). I'd also run 32c tires (lots around, e.g. Panaracer Pasela, Shwalbe Marathon Supreme, Vittoria Randonneur, etc.).
Doing that would be well worth the cost, and assuming a good wheel build you should not have any further problems. Check out, just for example, the information here:

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp

SuperDave

All good advice, to which I have a couple small things to add. Another stop in your search should be Prowheelbuilder (.com), who built my new wheels in very satisfactory condition, for an even more-satisfactory price. Additionally, do a little due diligence regarding tires - some brands tend to run small for the indicated size. Having done that, I ordered my Marathon Supremes in 32 for my goal of 28's; turns out the advice I got was accurate. Panaracer T-Serv's are the same, in my experience, but that's the end of my experience.

Casey1984

Please post what you are end up with. I am interested to see what the solutions are.