HIPCHIP

Short version: Is there a problem with upgrading only one wheel at a time I.E. getting a similar, but better, version of your front wheel and changing only it, or do you have to upgrade both wheels at the same time?

Long Version: I have a Felt Z-70. The wheels are classified as OK to good. Definitely not junk, but an upgrade would be beneficial. I'm 54, a little over 200 LBS for a short period of time and ride for fun and hope to do some racing.

I'm looking at taking a wheel building class. I talked to an acquaintance of mine who knows how to build wheels. He recommended I get an inexpensive wheel, build it, tear it apart, build it, tear it apart, etc, etc, etc, to get the hang of it. He stated that an improperly built "Better" wheel is worse than a properly built lower quality wheel.

My thinking is this, the class will probably be small, so there is a possibility I could build the wheel, then have the instructor fine tune the wheel so that it is properly built ( I can use an old MTB wheel I have to practice on).

So if I build a better wheel (I.E. from a 105 to a Ultegra or DA hub) and only change the front wheel (since that's the least expensive), would that cause any problems?