Hand built wheels: what's the advantage?

[jobob]

MartianDestiny did a good job summing it up. I went the custom route because, for the money, I got a much lighter wheel, built specifically for someone my size, than I could have gotten off the shelf. I went with a build suggested by SadieKate and Jobob and have been very, very happy with them. Velocity Aerohead rims, Sapim spokes, and White Industries hubs. I love, love, love the hubs. Beyond having to true them once after they were broken in, they'be been completley maintenance free. I, personally, also liked working with the wheel builder. The whole experience felt like a "guilty pleasure," but in the end I got a great product for the fraction of what I might have otherwise paid for wheels of a similar weight.

Yep. Good wheels are wonderful. I never appreciated what a difference a reliable, sturdy, easily serviceable & reasonably lightweight set of wheels makes until I got a set. I sincerely believe that when people test-ride bikes, much of the difference they perceive between various bikes (with respect to comfort, handing and what not) might be in large part due to different wheelsets on those bikes.

White Industries hubs are excellent, and very pretty too. If you do a search on White Industries you'll find there are a lot of fans in our midst.

Here's a particularly good thread in that regard from some time ago, describing Dachshund's (then) new Seven:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ite+industries

Have fun!