alan, regarding most of the weight on the rear, and "rebuilding" your rear wheel every 1-2 years--it would appear that the issue isn't brake wear, but rather spoke issues (spoke count vs your weight) --or at least that is how I am understanding your comment (what do you mean exactly by a rebuild?)

If you are wearing out a rear rim every 1-2 years from brake pad wear, well I dont really understand how. The majority of braking should be on the front, so I guess you are predominantly a rear brake user, but even without getting into brake bias front/back, I really dont see how you are needing the wheel to be "rebuilt" every few years unless its that bad of a wheel and/or you are a hefty fellow.