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Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack

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Product Description,
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Reviews

The Thule Spare Me XTR heavy-duty 2-bike carrier fits onto your rear-mounted spare tire and features reliable, durable construction.

T3™ cradles lock down bikes and cradles and allows complete adjustment along bike arm
Anti-sway cages prevents bike-to-bike contact
Attaches to spare-tire bolt pattern with lockable adapter plate (included)
Includes locking cable and locking knob to secure bikes to carrier and carrier to vehicle
Arms fold down when not in use
Does not work with spare tire covers

Please note: Thule products cannot be shipped to Canadian addresses.

Made in USA.

Item 816720

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Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack

3.1

(based on 11 reviews)

70%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy to install (7)
Durable (5)
Easy to use (5)
Stable (5)
Lightweight (4)

Cons

Best Uses

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (8), Avid cyclist (3)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (11)

Reviewed by 11 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Feb

2013

3.0

Needs longer arms

By Scott Perry

from Phoenix, AZ

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Too Small

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

The carrier was easy to install and seemed very well designed. Unfortunately the carrier arms were too short to hold a pair of large, modern mountain bikes. The bikes are too wide to fit side-by-side on the carrier. Unfortunately no arm extensions are available for this product ( or its counterparts ), otherwise it would have been a great solution.

Comment on this review

Jan

2013

2.0

Doesn't fit a Wrangler with larger tires

By KentuckyPhil

from Santa Barbara, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable

Cons

Doesn't Fit My Car

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

This rack was well made as all Thule products are, but it only fits a Jeep Wrangler with stock wheels and tires. Mine has larger (not huge) off-road tires and the tongue is not long enough to fit. It would have been so easy for Thule to include tongues or adapters to fit a wider range of wheels.

I ended up buying the Yakima version which comes with three different tongue lengths - it fit my Jeep perfectly. REI of course took the return of the Thule with a smile.

Comment on this review

Oct

2012

5.0

Just the BEST

By NashDude

from Nashville, TN

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Secure
Stable
Well designed

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

I have had this rack on my Jeep Wrangler for 3.5 years and I just can't say enough good about it. It was expensive to buy and worth every penny. So solid, so well designed, so easy to use, so compact, so stable. When I see the cumbersome racks on other cars that involve straps or block the rear gate or require wheel removal or rooftop hoisting I am so happy I got this one. It has been on the Wrangler pretty much all the time for 3.5 years and the Jeep spends most of its life outside. The rack has held up beautifully and looks and functions like the day I bought it. I have carried all kinds of bikes on it and have never had trouble with fit. Just this morning I used it to transport a large stroller. I run it through the car wash no problem. I love that it locks itself to the car. I just can't say a bad thing about this rack and would buy another in a heartbeat, not that I'd need to, this thing seems to be built to last forever.

Comment on this review

Jul

2012

5.0

Very happy with this one!

By Singe

from Boise, ID

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Mountain Bikes

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

After reading some negative reviews of the Yakima rack, I opted for the Thule and was not disappointed. I ended up buying this in a bit of a rush before a weekend away and installed it just as the sun was starting to set. In fact, it was so easy to install, I was able to finish up via headlamp.

The rack is solid on its own but combined with the anti-sway cages, the bike(s) don't even budge even on twisting mountain highways and freeway speeds up to 75 miles.

The cradles are also adjustable so it's been able to accomodate several different bikes with no issue - including one with a very small frame that took some wrangling to secure.

I have a Honda CR-V so haven't had any rear window visibility issues. The biggest challenge has just been training myself not to think it's a tailgating vehicle in the rearview mirror when I catch the rack/bike in my peripheral vision.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

1.0

Not so great.....

By bigskybj

from Billings, MT

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight

Cons

Hard to Install or Use

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

My excitement for a first outing with this bike rack quickly wore down to nubs of major frustration! Nowhere in the information provided by Thule (or any other resource that I found) stated that a frame adapter for a woman's bike must be purchased for an additional $39.95. So after having it installed on my Jeep Wrangler I discovered I can't use it without additional expense. I also had a lot of problems lifting and lowering the "arms" that support the bikes. Right now they are stuck in the up position and won't go down...necessitating in a trip to a local bike shop for assistance. As if all that weren't frustrating enough, Thule does not have a live person answering customer service phone calls. The recording said I'd get a 'call back' within two hours, but I have not heard from them – very disappointing for such a well-respected company.

I would not recommend purchase of this bike rack.

Comment on this review

May

2012

2.0

Might be great - if it installed

By Techie John

from Baltimore/Washinton Metro Area

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight

Cons

Doesn't Fit My Car

Best Uses

Small SUV

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

I went to purchase a Yakima SpareTime, but my local REI was out of stock, despite what the web site stated. So thinking there was little difference between the products, I purchased the Thule.

Upon my attempted installation, I found there is one significant difference that won't apply to everyone. If you have a spare tire that is slightly larger than your average SUV, in my case large off-road tires, you will not be able to attach the carrier. The base plate that attaches beneath the spare tire has a relatively short tongue. So it was about 3" shy of connecting to the receiver on the rack. The Yakima states it ships with 3 tongues to fit different tire widths, which is great! With any luck I will be installing the Yakima in a few short days, if I can find one in stock.

Comment on this review

May

2012

3.0

Doesn't work with small frames

By Alanarko

from Lakewood, Wa

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Won't hold small frames

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

Purchased this to haul two road bikes but the relatively large distance between the two arms wouldn't fit my girlfriends small frame. Also this large spread between the arms limits the amount of horizontal play you have necessary to mount two bikes. Construction was solid but requires more assembly than the Yakima and I was more impressed with the construction and quality of the Yakima we eventually exchanged it for.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Thule Spare Me, take 2

By Pre-Cor

from Burke, VA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Stable

Cons

Weak Construction

Best Uses

Bikes 54" or larger

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

This is my second Spare-Me rack (the first met an unfortunate end in a car wash - partly my fault, but the bolts rusted such that I couldn't put the arms down) for my 2004 Honda CR-V. I have a WSD Trek road bike that is 54", and it fits fairly easily on the arms of the rack. However, if you have a smaller bike then expect some adjusting to make it fit. Two bikes can be a challenge to load - you may need to remove the front tire, which isn't generally a difficult thing to do. I typically will only use a couple of bungees to secure the bike for short trips, and the included strap for longer trips. Overall this rack is very easy and convenient to use, and I feel confident in knowing the bikes aren't likely to fall off when driving at high speeds on interstates.

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Choice But Limited

By Dirk Tanner

from Central Oregon

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

I chose this rack for my 2000 Jeep Wrangler due to its small, rotating cradles that I hoped would work with my Santa Cruz Blur full suspension MTB. Turns out that it worked perfectly, the rear cradle slipping between the shock and the top tube, and the front cradle supporting the underside of the down tube, bike fairly level, with no offset installation of the rack necessary (drive side out). The rotating cradles proved to be a clever idea. As with other reviewers, I agree that this is a single-bike carrier only, although I really don't think that the spare tire mount is up to the task of supporting two bikes anyway. I removed the second set of cradles to store away out of the elements, and moved the innner cradles to the outer ends of the arms, allowing me to run through the gears for quick adjustments and lube, and to ensure that my bike doesn't touch the rack frame. The end caps come off easily with a philips screw, and a little soapy water helps with sliding the cradles. It would be nice if Thule included bright, reflective material for the eye-level end caps (I made my own out of reflective tape cut into 7/8" circles), and a small tube of grease for the locking bolt that holds the rack on. Overall, I am very pleased with this rack.

Comment on this review

Jun

2011

(3 of 10 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Do not buy this rack

By bikeslikeagirl

from Londonderry, NH

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install

Cons

Doesnt fit two bikes

Best Uses

For one bike only

Comments about Thule Spare Me XTR 2 Bike Rack:

I bought this so that I could haul two bikes and have my hitch free to tow a camper or boat. Here's the problem. This is a very stable rack for hauling only one bike, but impossible to load two. Even if you could get two on, the tongue on my camper doesn't fit my hitch when a bike is attatched. Thule should take this off the market until it can actually fit two bikes. A total waste of [$].