I think jerry's comment, "The biggest key to a strong wheel is uniform spoke tension." is kind of an oxymoron because what it's really saying is that you never hit a pothole with a wheel and bend (slightly taco) the rim.
I could say also that the biggest key to a strong crankset is that you never pedal it, and get the same connotation... :-) :-) No offense Jerry, but where I grew up in the midwest, potholes are unfortunately, an unavoidable fact-of-life ...
In my opinion, the biggest key to a strong wheel is proper build with 14g or 14/15g spokes. This means uniform tension (if possible), but tension just below the recommended build threshold in any event. And, if you build with used hubs, try to use the same lacing (3-cross etc.) at the same angles to avoid hub metal burrs digging into the spokes, use double-eyelet rims. Moreover, use 3-cross spoking (minimum), because it minimizes stress on the hubs and rims.
technically if you hit a pothole and the rim is more than about 2mm out of round, you should probably delace the rim and straighten it before rebuilding the wheel. If you have a really expensive rim (Martano, Mavic SSC) that's probably a good investment in time/money.
I am almost NEVER riding with a perfectly flat (side-side) rear wheel. That's just not economically feasible for a heavy (200+) rider like me.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA