Originally Posted by
lsberrios1
Because it may not give you a 5mph advantage it does not mean it doesn't make a difference. Comfort and ride can come at a price too and that is very noticeable to the rider.
Not disagreeing, but coming back to the OP, what you wrote gives a very misleading impression. For people looking for a specific ride quality, or for people looking for marginal performance gains, new wheels can make a difference. But for a recreational cyclist who is trying to figure out what the deal is, the differences are quite modest between a service-able workhorse wheel and a fancy wheel. Not non-existent, these modest differences matter a lot to some people, but modest nonetheless.