Quote Originally Posted by MartianDestiny View Post
Which is another point. Weight alone likely won't make a huge benefit, but if you are upgrading all around (less weight, better hubs, less rolling resistance, better ride qualities for your type riding (stiffer, smoother, etc. rims)) then there will be a difference if only in how your bike feels and handles.
Ditto this.

I went from a ~ 1850g touring wheel set with high spoke count, to a 1300g road wheel set and it made a huge difference. Both sets of wheels were from the same manufacturer, but the road wheels had better hubs and a slightly stiffer feel. I kept the same tires and neither my bike nor my route changed at all when I made the comparison.

I didn't really get any faster up hills (this is on my commuter bike and it's still heavy) but the hills were definitely easier and wore me out MUCH less. Of course, the same could be said of the whole ride, but it was most noticeable on moderate incline hills. I suppose that if my goal were to be faster, then I would be faster on the new wheels but since I was commuting, speed wasn't really a concern.