You mean steel rims? Eeewww, no. Can't true a steel rim. Wal marty. Aluminum. All the parts will be brand name stuff, Like you pick your hubs, then rims, spokes, lacing patterns, what you get from good handbuilt wheels is a parts package you want, as opposed to a package somebody else picked out. My MT wheels are Sun rims anodized red, the most chi chi thing going at the time, the hubs are Shimano LX police isue, which is oddball but - my dealer has a police bike concession and they're higher grade than LX, and they're the best ones around with a silent clutch freewheel. Once you ride those, you never go back to tick tick tick tick... And you can sneak up on criminals or deer, depending on whether you're supposed to have those hubs or not.
Mavic is a French manufacturer and makes great rims, but there are other brands. I don't know as much about road rims as MT but the secret is in the building- actually lacing the wheels up when the spokes are installed. And you can get much better spokes in a handbuilt wheel than an original equipment wheel, mostly because most full bikes sold either get upgraded or sit in a garage. There's some crummy part on every complete bike to shave costs and keep the price competitive, like a cheesy seat or a two $ headset. Spokes tend to be pedestrian. ( Is there a bad pun there?) Once you get into hanbuilt wheels and King headsets, you no longer buy bikes. You buy frames.
Anyway, to conclude this evenings ramble, a susp seatpost is a great thing, and if your wheels are rattling or annoying you they can be trued and tensioned and that may help. I'd ride them to peices, learn while I'm doing it, and the Bike Gods will provide when the time comes. Or Susan mentioned a bike parts swap meet up there in the spring? Maybe they'll provide there.

missliz

Actual name- Miss Liz
And full of coceine cough syrup, so if the above rant makes no sense blame it on the poppy.