Spare Me Pro

Thule always tries to think of everything and they provided all the options I needed for this to be a simple and effecient installation. I have a jeep cherokee, it has a 31" spare tire on an after market tire swing that is offset to my passenger side. Using a hitch bike rack would prevent me from accessing the rear of my jeep so I researched this carrier. Thule knows that people have different tire sizes so they have options for us. Short, Med, Long. They provide 2 different sized brackets with additional thread extenders if needed for the main support bolt. They also took into consideration vehicles, like mine, that have offset tires. I was able center this carrier on my vehicle by simply installing the unit with an option explained in the instructions. Otherwise one of my bike tires would be over extending passed the width of my truck. THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE AWESOME. Take the time to read them especially if you have an oversized tire. There is a whole bunch of stuff in the box when you open it, so read the instructions and it will tell you what each parts purpose is. There are 2 locks INCLUDED in this kit, it not only locks the carrier to your tire but at the same time it is locking your tire to your vehicle. Extra security??? why not. There is also a lock that will lock your bikes to the carrier, really sleek design on this carrier, having that built in bike lock is really nice. I'll still be using my old lock because i like to thread it through my wheels too. The carrier does not move, I loaded 2 bikes onto it and strapped them down the way the book explains. I went with the extra support from 2 brackets that snap onto the carrier brackets. No sway, the bikes don't hit eachother, it's really nice. When i take the bikes off, the carrier fold up and sits flat, you tighten it up and it doesn't rattle. And my jeep is all over the road, i feel all the bumps and don't miss any chance at driving off-road. Only thing that I will suggest for small framed bikes, or women/kids bikes is a Frame adapter. My hardtail bike has a thick upper tube and it won't fit accross the bars properly so i use a frame adapter. It's a bar that goes from your bike seat post to your front post, giving you a horizontal bar to lay over the bike carrier. Thule doesn't dissapoint, once again they impressed me. Quality product, built to last.

I got this for my new 2013 Wrangler because I wanted something that let me still use my gate without limitations. This does exactly that. Its not hard to install, the instructions are ok, but not great, you'll need good common sense to do it. It kinda leaves out a few things (that aren't hard to figure out) and some of the explanations aren't thorough enough. But you'll figure it out. The rack is sturdy, and pretty well made. Installed properly it is very solid and secure. My tires are oversized, and this kit includes hardware to accommodate them. The instructions recommend certain configurations for certain tire sizes, but I found these to be inaccurate. I swapped pieces until I found the best fit, and I would suggest doing that. Also, be advised, this rack, whether up or down, will be in your line of sight thru the back window. I have a soft top and the rack is level with my center brake light when the rack is up for a bike. The rack holds two bikes, and the cradles are adjustable to hold different styles so you can find a good fit for your bike. You just turn them to the desired angle. It advises a 75lb max for the rack, so 2 of most bikes will fall within that parameter. I have a 29er and its a big bike so it sticks out both sides, but not past the fender, so I don't have any worries about it getting hit while I'm driving. The cradles have rubber straps to secure the bikes and while you have to pull on them good and hard to get a nice fit, they are secure and won't scratch your bike. It also has a cable to lock over the bikes, and this is a tight fit because the cable isn't long. It comes with a strap for over fat tires as an extra security measure, and another to go around the bike frame and rack so your bike won't wobble around. If you use all the secures, it'll take about 5 minutes to snug-on your bike until you get used to it. With this rack I have full use of my Wrangler's gate at all times, bike on or off. Even with my over-sized bike my gate opens as far as I could need and the bike never touches the Jeep at all. I have had no issues with this rack and my bike has been safe and sound. I will say, I have given four stars instead of five because I think this rack is overpriced for what it is and its quality level, even on Amazon, which is the cheapest place I found. Not that its a bad rack, but it is definitely over-priced.

I decided on the Thule bike rack for my Jeep Wrangler based on good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. The product looked sturdy and well constructed upon arrival. The ability to customize the rack to fit a wide variety of tire and wheel combos was important since I have a lift, oversize tires (31") and aftermarket wheels with more offset than stock. The test fit went fine until I tried to disassemble. The stand off bolt, a piece designed to extend the threads of the bracket that fits behind the spare tire, came loose before the bolt that held the rack in place. No big deal. I got a long socket, took it apart and during final installation, I wanted to make sure the stand off bolt was nice and tight. I applied moderate pressure with my ratchet and sheared off the bolt. Mind you, this is the piece that holds the rack on your vehicle. It doesn't support the weight of the rack and bikes but it does accept the bolt that holds the rack tight to your tire. If you can't tighten this bolt securely without shearing it off, it could rattle loose during transport and leave your bikes in the middle of the highway or come out of the mounting bracket before the bolt that holds the rack on. The latter isn't the end of the world but the former is. The stand off bolt looked like cheap cast metal. I do a lot of mechanical work and only cheap bolts and fasteners that aren't properly hardened or forged break this easily. There are cheaper racks on Amazon but I went with the name brand. I returned the rack, I flat don't trust it even with a replacement part, and will buy different brand now.

Just put on my Jeep Wrangler. I have I think about 33 inch tires and about 12 inches or so deep. I just used the tools that were already on the rack. It looks like it was deep enough for it, well I hope so. If not I will add the extensions. I thought it wasnt at first bc the part that you put the bikes on wasnt fully flush when down. I took off and it was the same way off the Jeep as it was on. I think it has to do with the black pieces that hold the bike frame. It went on rather easy and I dont excel in hands on stuff. The instructions said to use the straps for tires bigger than stock size but I dont want bright blue straps on the back of my jeep flying around or just looking ugly to me. I suppose I could just use them when I actually go bike riding but the point I wanted is less hassle. Just throw my bike on and leave. A few things that are pretty cool. It has a built in lock to lock your bike onto the rack itself. It just comes out of one of the end pieces and locks onto another piece. Thats pretty ingenious. I dont have to bring my bike lock mechanism with me if I happen to stop at a store on the way home. Also it has a lock to lock the actual rack so that people just cant steal the whole thing off of your car. Both keys work for each of the locks. Once you lock it the screw on piece just spins so people cant take off the rack. Im not sure how heavy duty the lock is that locks the bike on. But its a deterrent and better than nothing. Im sure someone with bolt cutters could cut it off in time but they would have to have that on them walking around a parking lot. The extra cushion rubber pieces work well. It keeps the rack from digging into the tire and there are 4 pieces. My tire didnt fit like the instructions so I put each on on point of contact on my tire. Its also nice to have anti sway straps. On my other rack for my Subaru Outback it just sways ever time and the handle bar swings but Thule has anti sway to keep that from happening. I just have to figure out how to do it when I put my bike on it. There is a pic on the box that shows how it goes. I was a little concerned the actual rack would take away from the Jeep look but have to make a sacrifice. It doesnt look too bad though. Its fairly flush and matches pretty well with my black tires. I have to ride my bike and Im taking my Jeep so need something to get it done and not may bike racks out there for Jeeps. I havent put my bike on yet. Im going to do that tomorrow. Will update if something doesnt work right.

Overall it seems well made, however there are a few manhole drawbacks. Getting the plug out of the knob to insert the lock required a drill and pliers (the flathead plastic stripped and cracked immediately). Setup instructions are virtually useless - could really use a YouTube video instruction. Also there is a strap on the bottom that is not shown in any pictures - you are supposed to wrap it around the back of the tire and it is a really annoying extra step (although it does provide a bit of extra stability). When loaded with 2 bikes it bounces quite a bit which makes me nervous going over even the smallest bump. Still not sure if this is ok for the hinges on the cargo door (mine make creaking noises when I slow down to a stop). What I do like is that I can relatively easily put it on and and take it off. The offset feature is a plus for my car. Another bonus is that the RAV4 tire cover still fits on the tire when not in use.

This is my second of these racks. I had bought one long ago but the years caught up to this great rack. I bought another one to replace it and was pleased to find they had improved some things on it and added new features, such as the built-in bike lock and improved mounts and replaceable rubber fasteners. The previous version of this rack had the fasteners built-in so if they broke, you had a bigger issue on your hands than with this more modular, easily replaceable design. This rack is sturdy and very easy to put on and use. I've looked at other ones in the market, but this one seems the best designed. It is low-profile when folded down so you don't have an ugly protrusion hanging off the back when not in use. I have it on a Jeep Liberty and like I said, works perfectly and looks great.

The directions can be vague in places because Thule is trying to cover many different brands and models of vehicle, so they have to leave it to the user's judgement -- which can be lacking if you've never installed one of these things before. That said, we had not much difficulty getting it installed (exception described below) -- nothing had to be taken off and redone. We threw the bikes on right away and went out; there was zero wobble on the rack for most of the drive and when we went over railroad tracks, a single shake that moved with the car. Very solid. The problem I needed to contact Thule for was the locks. Both of them were sticky, one was mostly impossible to work with; despite loads of lubricant spray I could not get any of the keys in more than halfway 95% of the time. I was only able to get keys fully in 2 or 3 times. Thule asked me to send them a video showing the problem, and new locks are on the way.

It works on my 2002 RAV4. It's sturdy, well made, and holds the bikes securely. The installation is pretty straightforward with a few cautions (below). You install it by removing the spare tire, putting a bracket between the spare tire and the car, replacing the spare tire, and attaching the bike carrier to the bracket. It comes with mounting hardware to fit many sizes. It may not be obvious from the product literature, but once the bracket is installed, it's pretty easy to attach or remove the carrier; you don't have to leave it on all the time. It comes with a lock for securing the carrier to the bracket. This also secures the spare tire to the car. You obviously should keep the key handy whenever the carrier is on the car in case the spare is needed. You can adjust the position of the bikes on the carrier by moving the soft, rubbery holders forward or back. When I first tried, they wouldn't budge. A little WD-40 did the trick. The cautions regarding the installation are: (1) To remove the spare tire, you'll need the lug wrench; it should be in the car, but make it is! (2) If like me, you haven't had the opportunity to remove the spare in a while, it may take some elbow grease. (3) Tires are kinda heavy; you may need help maneuvering it.