From what's been posted before, the aero wheels might shave a few seconds off your time per hour on the bike. More important for top riders competing for big bucks over long distances.

As the only wind I don't get is a tailwind, I'm more interested in light, stiff wheels that can handle the rough roads and maybe get me up these mountains a bit easier.

Somebody mentioned hubs. By reading the marketing stuff, how can you tell what makes a hub good? Or by reading forums, how can you tell which hub is good? The only hub I've not seen knocked is Chris King's, except for people complaining about the price.