Originally Posted by ElRey
Why buy an ultralight frame and then worry about the "sturdiness" or cost of a high performance wheelset? Running a heavier, less aero wheelset on that frame is ludiocrous. Fine for a Cannondale frame, but you just ponied up $5000 for a sleek racing set-up!!! Frankly, a racing set of wheels offers more bang for the buck than the frame.
Agreed that the wheels will offer more bang for the buck than frame. However, it's ridiculous to not be concerned about the "sturdiness". If a wheelset fails in the middle of the ride, it no longer matters how "high performance" the wheelset was. If you are sagging in, or crippling home, the heavy & less aero wheelsets will still be on the road. If you are racing, then by all means select the "fastest" wheelset. But, for the remaining 99% of us, definitely ensure at least "minimum sturdiness".
We tried the low spoke boutique wheelsets with less than acceptable results. We're happy to be back on our ultra-reliable 36 spoke Velocity Deep V's & White Industries.
Obviously, the low spoke wheelsets are fine for many teams, but there's also a ton of failures.