How do I go about picking out a wheel?

[nscrbug]

Well, from my understanding (and I'm no expert)...the primary difference between an "expensive" wheel and a more "reasonably-priced" wheel is weight and/or hubs. Cheaper wheels (usually dubbed training wheels) will generally be heavier and more durable (more spokes), usually made of alloy, and the hubs are usually lower quality. Pricey wheels are lighter, have less spokes, are often made of carbon, and have high-quality hubs (some with ceramic bearings). I hate to say this, but...for a new wheel, $200 is relatively cheap...especially if that was for the rear wheel (rear wheels will always be more expensive than the front). If you're looking for a "cheap" replacement, you might be better off searching Craigslists or Ebay for a used one. I'm assuming that the wheel you saw on the Bontrager site, was the "Classic"? If I'm not mistaken, the Classic has replaced the Bontrager Select wheelset, which is the stock wheelset that used to come on entry-level Trek roadbikes.

ETA - Just looked at the Bontrager site, and it looks like the cheapest wheel is the "Race", not the Classic like I had assumed. My apologies.