>>1418061same boat here, both wheels were chrome plated and i had a spare aluminum wheels around so i said fuck it it's a parts bike after all
immediately noticed: brakes better (you can feel the pads actually holding the wheel, you can have this sort of feeling on a chrome plated wheel or stainless steel but it will have to be with the right pads, which are ones with leather bits on the braking surface), the "noise" the front wheel makes is less "noisy", after a mixed terrain ride the wheel is much less prone to getting out of true (specially since most all steel wheels are one wall only).
i'm waiting for some nice deal to pop up on my local marketplace and get a pair of aluminum wheels to replace the current rear chrome plated and the mismatched front wheel.
i'd say using one walled rims for any sort of heavier riding (as in, carrying loads)is risky, specially if you include off road.