If you've ever changed wheels in the paddock, you'll know the frustration.
The wheel comes out, the spacers fall onto the floor, one rolls under the van, another ends up in someone's pocket, and by the time you're ready to refit the wheel you've forgotten which spacer goes on which side.
It's something almost every pitbike racer accepts as "just part of racing"—but it doesn't have to be.
Race Tech: Why Captive Wheel Spacers Are One of the Best Upgrades You Can Make
The Problem
When I first started racing pitbikes, wheel changes were always more awkward than they needed to be.
Loose spacers can:
Fall out as the wheel is removed.
Roll away across the paddock.
Get mixed up between the left and right-hand sides.
Slow wheel changes when every minute counts.
Even worse, fitting the wrong spacer on the wrong side can affect wheel alignment.
Why Fast Wheel Changes Matter
Track conditions can change in minutes. A dry circuit can quickly become soaked by a passing rain shower, turning slick tyres into a liability. Equally, as the track dries, riders need to swap back to dry wheels to regain grip and performance.
At race meetings, every minute counts. The faster you can change wheels, the more time you have to check tyre pressures, warm the bike and get back to the holding area. Captive wheel spacers remove one of the biggest frustrations during a wheel change—loose spacers that fall out, get mixed up or disappear into the paddock.
Having raced in both wet and dry conditions myself, I know how valuable those extra minutes can be. When the weather changes unexpectedly, being able to swap a complete wheel set in just a few minutes can be the difference between making the next race or missing it altogether.
It Started With My Own Bike
I originally made a new set of wheel spacers for my own race bike after discovering the wheel alignment wasn't correct.
The rear wheel was approximately 6mm out, while the front was around 8mm out.
Correcting the alignment transformed how the bike felt on track.
My first version also featured a small locating section that sat inside the bearing dust seal. It was an improvement over the standard loose spacers, but it still wasn't the complete solution. The spacers could still be knocked loose during wheel changes, and the additional contact with the seal created slightly more friction than I was happy with.
Back to the drawing board.
The Moment That Changed Everything
The final push came while helping a good friend whose two sons I support with race preparation and maintenance.
Watching them change wheels was painful.
Spacers were dropped.
One disappeared into a pocket.
Another rolled across the paddock.
Left and right spacers became mixed up.
The same wheel went in and out multiple times before everything was finally assembled correctly.
A simple wheel change had turned into nearly an hour of frustration.
That was the point where I decided there had to be a better way.
The Solution
After further development and track testing, I designed a completely captive wheel spacer system.
The spacers remain securely located within the wheel, meaning they:
Cannot fall out during wheel removal.
Cannot be mixed up.
Cannot roll away across the paddock.
Make wheel changes significantly faster.
Improve consistency every time the wheel is fitted.
The engineering behind the system is something we've developed through extensive testing, but the end result is simple—a reliable, repeatable solution that works exactly as it should.
Real World Results
Every one of my own race wheels now uses this captive system.
What used to be a fiddly job is now incredibly straightforward.
I can comfortably swap both wheels in under five minutes.
I've since supplied several sets to other racers, including the same bike I'd watched struggle with wheel changes.
The difference has been immediate.
Instead of chasing spacers around the paddock, the wheels simply slot back into place.
Why It Matters
Track time is valuable.
Whether you're racing, testing gearing, changing tyres, or switching between wet and dry setups, every minute spent fighting with loose spacers is time you're not riding.
Captive wheel spacers don't make the bike faster down the straight.
They make every wheel change faster, simpler and more reliable—which means more time on track and less time in the paddock.
Sometimes the best upgrades aren't about horsepower.
They're about removing frustration.
🛒 Products Featured in this Guide
Captive Wheel Spacer System
Upgrade your wheel changes with captive wheel spacers that stay located in the wheel, making wheel installation faster, easier and reducing the chance of dropped spacers in the paddock.
Perfect for:
Supermoto race bikes
Frequent wheel changes
Wet and dry wheel sets
Track day riders
→ View Captive Wheel Spacer System
Pit Bike Wheel Tree
Keep your spare wheel sets organised, protected and ready to use. Designed to hold complete wheel assemblies securely in the paddock, making tyre changes quicker and keeping discs off the floor.
Perfect for:
Wet & dry wheel sets
Race paddocks
Workshops
Track days
