Hi dhk2, yes you are right
There are many choices, especially if you are a light weight rider, ie. weigh 60 to 70kgs, but there are some things that will tend to be consistent from what I have read ...
Climbers Wheels seem to require light rims ... say <400gm rear rim and a little lighter front rim, such as Enve, Kinlin, Velocity A23, Stans 340A, etc
TT wheels seem to require rims that are a combination of climber and pursuit rims ... Aero is usually more important than light weight and some weight is good for inertia/momentum.
Crit wheels rims are more like climber rims because of the number of corners that exist in a crit circuit where fast acceleration is required when exiting the corners.
A good compromise rim depth, re weight, aero (side & front), and strength, seems to be 30 to 40mm (+/- a little).
Hubs should have excellent bearings, excellent freehub/hub mechanism, excellent durability, and easy serviceability ... such as DA, DT240, etc
The spoke lacing patterns should suit the intended terrain, expected durability, rider weight, rider strength, hub, rim, dishing.
- For heavy riders, >=110kgs, the rear lacing, using J spokes, should be 32H 4xDS, 2xNDS, and front lacing 24H/28H 2x (This could change when they move from 130mm stays to 135mm stays).
- It would appear that a 16:8 Triplet rear lacing, using a wide flanged hub and J spokes with 120 to 130 kg/f spoke tension, of 24H 3xDS, 1xNDS is as strong as as a 32H 3xDS, 1xNDS, but not as good if you break a spoke.
- The wheel must always be laterally and vertically stiff, but still have sufficient elasticity (compliance) to absorb bumps, etc.
The more the wheels and tyres can absorb the bumps, without incurring a weight penalty, the more you will enjoy riding the bike