I went with the cross pattern John suggested. How's that for technical? Having 2 sets of wheels from him, I trusted what he was saying. I ride on a lot of chipseal and rural farm roads, plus California sends all its road repair tax money to SoCal so you can imagine what the roads are like in NoCal.

John had me take out the bike for which I wanted new wheels and swap around wheel sets to make sure that I wasn't feeling the ride harshness in the frame as this could have actually been the real cause of my unhappiness. There were immediate and noticeable differences with the Topos on the bike. Therefore, I knew new wheels would change the ride.

There are conversion kits to use Shimano on Campy-compatible hubs but not vice versa (I think I have this right). If you don't see ever using Shimano on these wheels, I don't know why Robin would recommend Ultegra except to meet a price point or if he doesn't like the new hubs from Campy. So go back and ask.

My wheels fall into 2 categories: 1) built by a full time master wheelbuilder and have never needed additional work and 2) those that were NOT built by a full time master wheelbuilder and with the exception of my Topos 100% have needed more work. Therefore, I do like the fact that you want someone who is a fulltime wheelbuilder. There are those that say "anyone can build a wheel" but I want a master craftsman building the wheels that I'm descending on at 45+ mph. A superbly built set of wheels for someone our size shouldn't go out of true forever and a day. I have wheels that are 25 years old and still perfectly true - because a truly skilled builder attuned to every nuance crafted them; wheelbuilding can be elevated to an art.

Your wheelbuilder of choice should be able to articulate to you why s/he is recommending a particular build - and explain it to you in English. Ask lots of questions until it makes sense or go find another builder.