Quote Originally Posted by MartianDestiny View Post
I bought mine already built, but I was considering building a similar set myself so I'll answer as best I can.

1) Spokes: this was easy for me as I am TIRED of the horrible cross-wind performance of my current wheels. Wanted a nice set of "old school", non-bladed spokes. I'm not hard on wheels (being 120lbs and riding fairly decent roads) so lightness over durability for me (to an extent; I don't want the wheels tacoing on me either)

2) Rim: Again wanted something low profile to reduce cross-wind problems. That limits it some, but there's still a large selection.

3) Hubs: Eh, honestly I don't care so long as they hold up and are reasonably light (LOTS of hubs fit that bill). Picked Kings for the blingy anodized red to match my bike.

Aside from that you can go to a good wheelbuilder with basic ideas like these, basic ideas of what ride quality you want, and a basic price range and they can help you pick what will work best.

So I'd go to a wheelbuilder with something like this: "first priority is to minimize effects of crosswinds (lowish spoke count, thin spokes, low profile rims). Also want a wheelset that feels snappy and lively and accelerates well (as opposed to one that rides smooth; this is my personal preference. This distinction will help narrow rim choices). Want as light as is feasible, but expect the wheels to be durable for my weight and riding style. Budget is XXX"

They should then counter with ok we can do XXX or XXX or maybe XXX here's the benefits and drawbacks of each.

(Going somewhere like RBR forums will also give you a good idea of popular builds and characteristics for hubs and rims since they have a wheel specific forum with lots of people riding custom builds.)
That mirrors my experience. When I first started thinking about them, I did some research on RBR on both parts and wheelbuilders and also posted a question here. I quickly got a sense of what was out there. Like MartianDestiny, I wanted to get away from bladed spokes and otherwise wanted a good all-around wheel that was built for my weight (115-120 lbs). BTW, if you want to go with a low-ish spoke count build that rules out a handful of hubs that just don't come in a low spoke count.

Finally, I called the builder and he just walked me through it. He asked me about my weight, my riding style and habits and ideal cost. Then he suggested the build. His suggestions was virtually identical to what SadieKate had suggested, so I pulled the trigger right then and there and had the wheels a short time later. I got some QR skewers on my own after a bit more research and off I went. I suppose the process might have been a bit more complicated if I wanted something fancier, but at my pricepoint, it was pretty straightforward.