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Thule's Spare Me 2 Bike Carrier fits over the spare tire that's strapped to the back of your SUV or the trunk of your Cadillac. T3 bike cradles secure your expensive bikes, so they don't pop off when you're rallying your vehicle on the way to the trailhead. Thule's wing-knob makes lowering the arms when you're not using the rack super easy, so you don't clothesline yourself trying to get groceries out of the trunk of your Deville. If you ever get a flat on your car, you can simply pop off the rack to get to your spare tire. The Spare Me works with almost any truck with a spare tire mount, but call our gearheads just to make sure before you buy.
Bottom Line: If you get a flat you'll probably just ride your bike anyway; you may as well use the spare for something.
I bought this rack last year and could not be happier about its looks and performance. Easy on, easy off, looks awesome and easily carries two adult bikes with zero worries.
This unit lets you off-set the mount (left or right) to accommodate this issue. I didn't have to use it, but it will certainly help keep your bike out of the next lane!
This is a great rack for those who don't want to spend the $400 it would take to do a nice roof rack option or who are afraid of driving into their garage with their bike still on top...I have a full suspension mountain bike (Trek Fuel 8) and a Schwinn Mesa hard tail from circa 1999. Neither of the bikes fit the rack so I had to get the conversion bar...it's not too big a deal but this rack would have been the ultimate option with out the conversion bars. It was super easy to install and my bike and car are better off not having to take the front tire off and put it in the inside of my car. Bottom line, I have more time to ride my bike and no chance of locking my disc brakes shut with this rack...love it! Oh I have a Honda CR-V 2000 and it fits the car perfectly and instead of the strap that is included I just use a bungee cord to secure the bikes...way easy.
Has anyone tried this on the FJ Cruiser? How does it work?I'm thinking this might be a better option than a hitch with the FJ so that the back door can still swing open with the rack attached. I'm not a big biker though, I'd only be getting this to get the ski/snowboard attachment to go with it. Is that available here? How many pairs of skis and snowboards can you fit on the attachment? Can it handle as much as the FatCat6 (6 pairs skis or 4 boards)?
Good idea, but it needs to mount under the tire and have a little bar that sticks out the center of the tire. I know FJ cruisers have tht plastic plate over the center of the wheel. That might be easy to take off, but if not, it's in the way.
I purchased the Thule Spare Me for my 2005 Rav4. Installation was fairly simple and straight forward and took just about 10-12 minutes. I did have to remove a plastic clip inside the spare rear cover for the plate to install flush, but no big deal. It held two bikes adaquately with no issues other than I need to get an adapter bar for my wifes bike for easier loading. Bikes rode great for a two hr trip down the interstate. Good alternative if you do not have a hitch like me and you don't want to put the bikes on the roof.
It seems from previous questions that this rack will work fine on my 03 crv, but how do I know if the rack will fit my bike? I have a 16in frame. Do I need the conversion bars mentioned in some reviews?
I bought this rack about 2 years ago for my liberty. At the time, I was dating a guy who had a 19'' frame bike and my 16'' frame and his both fit perfectly! We didn't have any extensions that were mentioned.
Easy to install, fits well on our Jeep Liberty and haven't had any problems. Sturdy and I don't notice any movement from bikes even on bumpy trails. Soft straps so it doesn't seem to scratch up the bikes either.
We have this rack on a 04 CRV and it works fine. It's pretty universal, the exception being that if you have a downhill/freeride bike with odd geometry and a massive frame, it probably won't fit. You might have some trouble with kids' bikes as well. XC and road bikes will be fine though.
The rack is extremely easy to install. Great for someone short like myself. Light and easy to lift, fold the arms up and down, etc. The problem is that the bars are so far apart and the cradles so large that I don't have a single bike that fits on the darn thing. The hard plastic destroyed the paint on my one bike just trying to jam it on there. I ride a Cannondale Optimo (50 cm) and it doesn't fit. My other cruiser Trek doesn't fit either. If the bars were just a little closer or the cradles weren't huge and hard plastic it would be an awesome rack, but if you are shorter, I'd make sure your frame is long enough before wasting the time and money.
I recently purchased a 2000 Chevy Blazer ZR2. It's an SUV with the swing out spare tire (centered behind the tailgate). The hardest part about installing this was getting it out of the box! I'm the guy that trys to assemble/install first, read instructions second. Bear in mind there are a couple extra parts for accessories. Store those in a ziplock along with receipt. So yes, anyone can install this but don't forget you'll have to lift the spare tire off. This unit fits perfect on my stock tire. If felt like I had a little room to get it on a larger tire if needed. Once installed, the folding feature makes it nearly unnoticable. I installed mine over my spare tire cover (black). I cut a small 1" "x" slit in the center. You can feel the plate stem by hand and cut there. It's a personal preference. I also did this on my '95 Jeep Wrangler. I'm trying to think of cons about this unit...offer a model that can lock, offer different colors, offer adjustable width's. So grab your coupon, buy your rack (and they'll UPS it) and get riding!
Perfect bike rack for cross country trips -- it allows access to the back of the car with bikes and no hassles. Versatile. However, be sure to carry the bike rack key EVERYWHERE YOU GO because if you need the spare tire while you're in the backcountry, you want to get the bike rack off without calling Thule and having them FedEx an extra key to you. Trust me!
I just tried to put a Thule Spare Me on the back of my 98 Wrangler with a 33 x 12.5 spare on back and I was 2 to 3" shy. If you have a smaller tire, you might want to try deflating it somewhat and it might work. Otherwise, I think we have to get an (expensive) trailer hitch installed and probably customized also..like having installer attach so that the end protrudes out from the bumper by about 2 to 3" so that we can use one of the Thule 2" mount carriers.....I don't know what else to do. It is a pain.
My biggest concern with spare tire racks is the increased weight from the rack and bike(s) stressing the vehicle. I don't know that any manufacturer designed their vehicles with the idea that another 25 pounds may be added to the spare tire. I'd almost rather add a hitch and a hitch mount rack to my Isuzu rodeo sport. What do you owners think about the issue?
My parents have a Toyota RAV4 with a similar spare tire situation. When I was setting them up with a rack, we looked at these racks but felt that bikes clanging into each other is far worse than a few extra pounds (which honestly your car frame can handle, no questions asked).If you have the funds available, go for a Yakima Hold-Up or a Thule T2 Rack and a light-duty hitch. Personally, I prefer Yakima's Ankle Biter mechanisms over the Thule T2 setup. You'll be happy you did, and your bikes will be even happier.http://www.backcountry.com/store/YAK0234/Yakima-Hold-Up-125-in.html
this rack has worked just fine for me, no problems, easy to install. as for the previous review... I have a Jeep Wrangler with the exact same size tires (31X10.5 R15) and had absolutely no problem with it, without any sort of welding alterations. so don't be too worried. the only thing I wish is that I could find the ski/snowboard attachment for it.
Just as an FYI - It took two of us to install this bad boy onto my boyfriends jeep. Then it had issues staying attached all summer. Now it is ghetto rigged to his spare and he drives around with it all year. The rack itself it great quality, its just the straps that attach to the wheel. Seriously reconsider this rack. I have a kingpin for my trailblazer and by the time you spend the money on this crazy ass contraption you might as well spend the extra 50 bucks for a hitch mounted rack that takes 15 min (at most) to install.
I currently have a bike rack with hard plastic straps and it scratches the bike. Are the straps/holders on this rack soft rubber? What material are they?
I have a 03 CRV & this works great! Due to the odd angle of my bike, it does not actually fit but I just went to the local bike shop & got a frame adapter bar. It was really easy to install too.
Love the carriage and the ability to fold down into compact position. However, did not like the fact that it does not allow my spare tire (31X10.5 R15)enough length on the sleeve for the spare tire carrier, it was 4" short. I'm not even sure it would fit on the stock 30" Wrangler jeep tires/rims. Took it to local welding shop for some help. Although due to the size of the carrier frame, you wont get this on a taller tire since it folds out and the back bar extends above the tire tread. Great product, just disappointed that it doesn't accommodate a larger sized tire. I know there's a ton of Jeeps out there with 30" & 31" that would love to make this carrier work. Other than the size issue, 5 star product.
Ive got a '94 Jeep Wrangler with the tire centered and once I got the tire off it only took 5 minutes to install. Great construction and design. I love the fact that you can fold & remove it with ease.
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