I've noticed that many bike riders I know tend to spend big bucks on pre-built wheelsets, rather than selecting parts and having them custom built. This surprises me, mainly because these wheels are often far more expensive than what you can get if you get them custom built, in my experience at least. Plus the spare parts such as spokes are very expensive.

Basically, I was wondering if there's a benefit that I'm not aware of. Do you prefer to pick individual parts and ride custom wheels, or do you opt for pre-built sets instead? Discuss