Pro-Lite Garda DS Alloy Clincher Wheelset

The Pro-Lite Garda DS alloy clincher wheelset is a great pair of wheels for a commuter bike or your training bike. They have excellent build quality and they ride really well.

These were my first upgrade from the stock wheels that my bike came with and the difference is noticeable. They aren't the lightest on the market, but I'm not racing, just looking for something well built and dependable.

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They're tightly built and pick up speed as soon as you kick off the pedals and give you that joyful feeling of instant reaction. Like any new wheels, they have a little settling in period, where you may hear the odd ping from the spokes settling, but they quickly stopped and were silent.

They acquitted themselves very well both on the flats and the climbs. Braking felt quick and consistent, meaning the rim surface was good. They reacted well in both wet and dry conditions.

The wheels are designed for 9 to 11-speed cassettes and come with a body spacer in the set, as well as quick release skewers. I just changed my tubes and tyres over; I was swapping to winter tyres anyway so it was just a case of moving the cassette at the same time.

The wheels have a depth of 30mm, with the clincher being 21mm and 14.8mm just under the rim. That's narrow compared with a lot of current rims, which tend to be 17mm and often more. Good news if you're running 23mm or 25mm tyres, and they'll work okay with 28s too, but wider tyres are better mated to wider rims.

The Garda hubs use two bearing types in the rear wheel, two sealed and two cup and cone. Pro-Lite says that these four bearings offer 'a stable feel and improve power transfer', and I've had no issues with either stability or power transfer during testing, so the wheels make good on that claim. The front hub has two sealed bearings. The freehub body also has a grease port which makes adding a bit of grease an easy job, something that's really good to see on an inexpensive wheelset.

The wheels are laced with 3.2mm steel Sandvik aero spokes and the wheel is set true. I ride on roads all winter, and there are a lot of potholes. The wheels are robust and despite having encountered a few rough patches over the last month, they have stayed true and strong.

> Check out our buyer's guide to road bike wheels here

Pro-Lite hand-builds all of its wheelsets, even down to training wheels like these Gardas. They're a very well made pair of wheels that should keep you rolling for a long time.

In terms of value they stack up very well. They're comparable in terms of weight to other wheels at the same price, and the performance is excellent. Spend £50-£60 more and you can make a weight saving of between 200g and 400g which might be tempting if you're looking for a more performance-orientated wheelset. But if your budget is limited and you want quality and performance, these are a really great option. Pro-Lite also offers a two-year warranty.

Verdict

If weight isn't your primary concern, these wheels offer great performance with excellent durability and strength