But he also wants to upsell me, and I appreciate your no-bull**** approach

I guess the clearer way to ask my question is: Assuming the basic option is Tange Chromo (so, already good-quality steel), would there be any reason for a non-racer to upgrade aside from vanity? It sounds like maybe you think the answer is no.

A shop employee (I haven't had a chance to meet the builder directly yet) already tried to convince me that the choice of lugs would have a big impact on ride quality. That didn't ring true to me, but I'm still pretty new to all this, so thanks for your input!