I'd pick Rival over Ultegra... just saying. But cheap cranks, etc.... probably cos people dont know, as has been said already (although you'd expect someone who is buying a $5k+ bike to have that much knowledge).

I can, however, see the logic of cheap wheels. It is possible that a lot of people who get a top end bike already have nice wheels - so adding an inexpensive pair makes sense as they can be used as training wheels and dont add much to the price.

V.