carbon wheel users

As 700c says there are certainly plenty of stiff and light carbon wheels out there, but if you don't want to break the bank then have a chat with DCR Wheels or Wheelsmith - either will be able to build you a set which is exactly suited to you and your intended riding.
As for braking in the wet - Black Prince pads have made things a lot better, but you certainly need to think ahead and remember it takes at least one revolution for the pads to clear the water before the braking even starts.

You can certainly get light, stiff carbon wheels, ideal for climbing and even aero too - but be prepared to pay! To get the most weight benefit you'd need to go tubular though, tbh, otherwise, as others have commented, perhaps some high quality stiff low profile alu clinchers would give you most of the benefit but possibly less than half the cost!

Disagree with the flex thing. As I said, the Mavic SLR's flex a lot and are alu wheels. My Bora's are as stiff as a board and don't move at all (I'm 95kg so not exactly light).

You don't need to race to justify carbon wheels - mine have never seen a race. I like cycling therefore I buy what I want!

Some good advice above, but do have a think about whether carbon wheels are really what you want for the riding you'll do.

It sounds like you're buying new wheels with the intention of doing lots of climbing. May be worth investigating in more detail, but my understanding is that until you go *really* expensive on carbon wheels, they are not all that stiff laterally (compared to equivalent aluminium). Which might not make them great for the rigours of climbing mountains - unless you have a super-smooth, high cadence, seated climbing technique. For the same price, you will get a very light, very stiff aluminium wheel that will climb well. Perhaps not quite as light as the carbon, but lightness is not everything.

I have some carbon tubulars which are extremely light (way lighter than anything remotely equivalent made of aluminium), but have quite noticeable flex if I'm standing out of the saddle powering up a climb. But they suit the majority of my riding very well. And yes, they look cool (IMO) and make me happy.

Re: braking, carbon rims are definitely not as good as aluminium rims, especially in the rain. You can get pretty close with good brake pads (I'm using Swissstop Black Prince these days), but it is definitely a different feel... Provided you are aware of this, it's not a big issue (how often do you find yourself having to grab a huge fistful of brake in an emergency?)

Yeah, as above. Campag carbon wheels with their red pads are good in the wet. Not as good as an alloy sidewall but better than most other carbon wheels by the sound of things. Not had any stopping issues with my Boras when the rain starts falling.

I have also used Mavic SLR's and the braking from the exliath(sp?) braking surface is great in the wet and dry. Found them to be quite flexy though so I guess there is a pay off for such great braking.

If you want carbon clinchers and really lightweight then you need Lightweight Meilensteins at only 1100g, you will f course pay a heavy premium for these.

Alternatively you could use Campag Bora Ulta 35 Tubulars at 1170 grams
Used with Campags red carbon brake blocks I have had no paticular issues in the wet.

However to be honest you might be better with something like Campag Eurus1465 g (£485) or Shamals at 1425 (£545). Compared with Zondas at 1550.

Don't get me wrong, Carbon wheels are great I use Boras for racing. I have Zondas for training in wet weather and Eurus for training in good weather. I have just come back from Majorca riding with fit guys on carbon wheels and i did not feel at any disadvantage in fact bear in mind that most carbon deep sections are heavier than the Eurus unless you have a big budget then the Eurus and Shamals are lighter and at an advantage on the climbs.
I won races on Eurus wheels so be careful before you decide you 'need' carbon wheels.

How much lighter are the 'super light carbon wheels' over the Ksyrium SLRs?

How much lighter are the 'super light carbon wheels' over the Ksyrium SLRs?

Carbon rims definitely worse in the wet, even from top end manufacturers who claim to have it sorted.

If that's a big concern for you then I'd stick to aluminium. Or be prepared to swap back to aluminium when the weather's bad.

Yes they can be bad in the wet. Mine at one point of Flanders would be best described as shocking.

Or carbon wheels with alloy rim?
http://www.ffwdwheels.com/