Tandem Cycling - Question about wheels for triple

We own a Cabrio Santana triple. It came with 48 spoke wheels. In a recent mishap the front rim got a little damage. We blew a front tire and rode on the bare rim fro a few feet before going down. BTW those triples are a lot harder to control after a blow out than tandems are. We have 40 spoke wheel set that came with our Santana Soverign and that we replaced with a set of Shimano Sweet 16's. We are a 440 to 470 lbs team depending which of our daughters rides with us. The triple weighs close to 70 lbs. Will the 40 spoke wheel be OK to use in the front? Thanks

Even if I assume they were built well to begin with and haven't been subjected to any severe conditions, you'd definitely be putting the 40h wheels at their upper limits, particularly if they are a box section rim. If they were a super-duty (Sun Rhynolite XL) or a deep section rim with high-flange hubs I might be a bit less conservative in my assessment. Regardless, if it was me, I'd get a new rim and rebuild the 48h just for the piece of mind.

As an interim fix while waiting for the new rim, I'd probably give in to temptation and give the 40h front wheel a good going over to ensure it was true and evenly tensioned and then take the crew out for a short, neighborhood jaunt with some hard braking and solid corners thrown in just to see how they felt (solid or a bit flexy) and sounded (quiet or creaky) and then check them for trueness and tension after the ride to see if there was any change.

Even if I assume they were built well to begin with and haven't been subjected to any severe conditions, you'd definitely be putting the 40h wheels at their upper limits, particularly if they are a box section rim. If they were a super-duty (Sun Rhynolite XL) or a deep section rim with high-flange hubs I might be a bit less conservative in my assessment. Regardless, if it was me, I'd get a new rim and rebuild the 48h just for the piece of mind.

As an interim fix while waiting for the new rim, I'd probably give in to temptation and give the 40h front wheel a good going over to ensure it was true and evenly tensioned and then take the crew out for a short, neighborhood jaunt with some hard braking and solid corners thrown in just to see how they felt (solid or a bit flexy) and sounded (quiet or creaky) and then check them for trueness and tension after the ride to see if there was any change.

+1 get a 48 asap

Regarding the 40H, pluck for even tone all the way around. If it's out of whack, get the tension evened out. Stress relieve it aggressively (wear leather gloves) and pluck again. If it holds even tension after that, it's probably ok for limited use.

Don't hit any big bumps at speed.

Will you be riding the triple at the Bass Lake Double this year?

K&M: Only if they have a triple category in theTT... just kidding. We have done a couple of hilly centuries with our older daughter in the triple but a double may be too much to ask. We have not decided if we'll do it in the tandem yet. Are you guys doing it?

Not sure. Some friends want us to ride down the coast to Morro Bay that weekend and we're too disorganized to make plans very far in advance. I think if I were riding a triple up and down those hills (and over that bad pavement on Ben Hur Rd.) I'd get the strongest, heaviest duty wheels I could possibly find!