IMO if you're not checking spoke tension with a tension meter, and keeping it at the rim manufacturer's recommended tension, no tandem wheel will last. I'm also a firm believer in using 14-15 double butted spokes, not straight gauge. I've never broken a spoke or had a rim crack on any bike. Of course I'm not running Rolfs on our tandem, though I've run Rolfs on one of my singles for many years. On our tandem we run ordinary 36H wheels, with a variety of rims. We're a 310 lb. team, and have toured loaded on the same wheels we use for sport rides, without any issues. We have rim brakes.