TG,
Thank you for your thoughts and insight. I have "spoken" to the "great Bill" and have decided to have Santana replace the rim and spokes. He has cut me a small deal, but it is still painful. I have asked Santana for the wheel tension specs. They have stated that the spokes should be set between 100 and 150 kgf. Despite the fact that my 1991 Wheel Smith spoke tensiometer is not calibrated that high, I should be able to take a reading when I receive the rebuilt wheel and use this for future reference. They also have confirmed spoke dope will be used in the making of this new wheel.
I have the original 40 spoke wheel set that I use on occasion, and have also built up a set of 36 spoke wheels, 14G, Sun Metal narrow rims on Phil hubs. These wheels have seen many miles and have saved both myself and another Sweet 16 user from riding the sweep wagon to the finish. The total weight difference between this Sun Metal/ Phil wheel set and the Sweet 16s is approx 230g. Not bad for a conventional wheel set. Phil was able to supply a rear hub with the 160mm spacing that worked out just right.
Do you know if the Rolf tandem rear wheel can be adapted to 160mm? Based on what I have read and measured, the Rolf wheels may be about 70 to 100 grams less per wheel, than Santana's latest Sweet 16 offering. We have 2 CoMotions in the club with this wheel set with almost twice the miles that I have with no issues. The crews on these bikes are lighter and their standing styles are not as aggressive, so this may have something to do with the better longevity.