First of all - thanks for the amazing response to my question! ill make the switch for sure. I ride with Schwalbe marathon tires which are pretty huge, maybe 32mm, and the wheels im looking at are from VAN DESSEL - which ive never heard of, but they offer a set of wheels at 169 or the flipflop for 89. i am serious about this, but honestly, ive been riding every day with the same steel araya wheels that came with my bike at the thrift store for about 6 years, so i probably wont notice much difference anyway! any ideas about VAN DESSEL's reputation? they look good to me... -drew