Originally Posted by acorn_user
Reparto Corse have FIR Net97 rims laved to Veloce hubs for $140. On a budget, I don't think you can do better. They also have Miche Racing wheels, which look nice, and you'll be the only one to ride em in the club. You might also try Italtechno; they are listing lots of Ambrosio wheels on t'bay.
edt:typo
Fir Net97 is a 520 gram 25mm rim! Furthermore, the ones that came on my bike developed stress cracks at the spoke holes in less than 5 years (fwiw I weigh 155). To me, a rim that weighs as much as a tank should be as strong as one. I wouldn't ride those things if they were given to me for free.
Tubulars are much lighter than clinchers anyway. Both the rim and the tire (compared to a tire + tube). I almost always raced on tubulars which came out over 400 grams lighter than my Mavic Open 4 training wheels.