Originally Posted by Carbonfiberboy
You ask good questions. But really there are three categories: wet training, dry training, and race.
Wet training: It's the rims that're important. Mavic Open Pro Ceramic. None other. Lace them to your favorite hubs or to the hubs you've got. And build them yourself. #1 it's hard to find them already built up and custom is expensive. #2 you'll enjoy the experience. It's easy to find instructions on the web, and you don't need a truing stand. You can true them perfectly right on your bike, though you will need a workstand for the bike, but you should have that anyway. Buy the spokes from your LBS to get them the right length. These rims are so great because you won't wear them out, even after several seasons in the rain. And because they're really easy to change tires on.
Dry training: I run Rolfs because I've used them and like them and because I got a great deal on them.
Race: I don't formally race. Wouldn't mind having Zipp 506 set.
I'm new to the serious biking scene so I was unaware of that. Thanks for the info. Given where I live I would probably just go with a "dry training" set up. At my level and budget, I will likely race and train on the same wheel set for a while before having set just for racing. Another interesting thought would be what is the difference in price (MSRP-vs the great deal that you might have got) on your training vs racing wheels.