Yeah they look like they'll hold up well and most reviews have been amazingly positive. I was worried about the rim/tire size discrepancy, since the Vuelta's measure in at ~17.5mm inner bead width which is supposedly way out of spec for 2.4" tires, but I've heard of MTBer's using similar combinations at lower pressures and more abusive conditions. I emailed the Vuelta customer service to be sure and told them the size and pressure of tire I wanted use on their MTB wheels and they responded with "Vuelta and ZeroLite clincher wheels are designed to work with virtually any quality-manufactured tire and tube combination. Always refer to the tire or tube manufacturer's recommended inflation pressures for best tire performance and service life." The general statement doesn't ease my concern that much, but considering I'm going to be riding at 45psi+ I don't think I should have too many problems with the tires rolling off or pinch flats. Whether the rim walls will hold up, I'm not sure, but they seem confident in their product and the reviews from consumers seem positive.

I'm definitely not the foremost authority on this topic, and much of it comes down to personal circumstances/preferences, but maybe I can steer you in the right direction. I'm a tinkerer by nature as well. Bike maintenance and repair is a great thing to get into and is really a manageable thing (even in a small workspace... we live in a 1 br apt.) once you understand the systems involved. The possibilities are pretty endless, but with that also comes a slew of exceptions to rules and sizing caveats to watch out for. Bike forums has been one of my top resources for researching what I wanted for my commuter build, only matched by Sheldon Brown's bicycle information database.

In my opinion, an older steel framed bike would be the way to go due to the (generally) comfier ride (and the fact that it could make the total build significantly cheaper). I'm only going with an aluminum frame/fork on my commuter because it's what I had on hand, it's a stout frame, and I'm compensating heavily in the comfort department with the most massive tires i could squeeze into the frame. For fenders and racks, you'll definitely prefer a full set of braze-ons (eyelets) both on the fork and the frame, though you can get by using p-clamps or other types of racks (which is what we'll have to do for the Ross and the front rack for the Raleigh). Past that, take a look around the commuting, C&V, touring and utility forums for drivetrain setups and compatibility. Research is your friend, and any problem you've run into, someone else definitely has too, so try searching in the Mechanics forum. Most importantly, have fun!

Phew that was a long post....