I have been cycling since the mid 1980's and have gone through/used a lot of wheels. The modern wheelsets are amazing compared to what we started with.
Even my "beater" wheelsets (Fulcrum Racing 3's) ride better, stay true, spin freely, and are far more durable than my wheels from 10 years ago.
Back then, one could write a wheel building book because all of the available components were virtually identical in design and composition. We would purchase a pair of hubs and choose 36,32, or 28 spoke flanges, choose our spokes and rim, and have a specialist build them. From 3x to radial etc.
Now things are proprietary for the most part, and also what components are compatible to construct the wheelset can become limited just due to a particular design. When I first saw true "low spoke count" wheels I was convinced that they would fail in short order. I was wrong of course.
Basically, what you are reading in the wheel building literature of yesteryear applies to the components and construction of the wheel that are discussed in the book. I am a C+V (Classic, Vintage) guy and always get a little chuckle when the die-hards remain convinced that their old wheelset is far superior to the new stuff. I ride both, and the old stuff is a disappointment in comparison for the most part.
To add- The basic fundamentals of wheel building still apply.
Last edited by Erzulis Boat; 04-23-21 at 10:19 AM.