Yakima  SpareTime 2 Bike Rack

Very happy with the SpareTime bike rack. Just returned from a 500 mile trip with my bike on the back of my Jeep Liberty. My Cannondale mountain bike did NOT block any of the rear window but you should remove the seat...mine has a quick release. I had no problem installing the SpareTime on my Jeep Liberty. Only took me about 15 minutes to install...fairly easy even with no help. No vibration problem...the only vibration is coming from the vehicle itself...not the bike rack. Others have complained about their bikes vibrating but all vehicles vibrate. Same as with any bike rack, just make sure the bike rack is tight against the spare tire.

The Bike Rack works great!! Purchased it to fit Toyota Rav4 and to drive from California to Rhode Island transporting one bike. The bike rack performed great, and the installation was quick and easy. Appreciated the cable lock that was included with the bike rack as well. Bikes are easy to place and take off bike rack. Does require that the spare tire cover be removed in order to mount the bike rack onto the Rav4. Only complaint is that the knob was tightened very tight by my husband to ensure that it would stay on for the entire road trip and I could not untighten upon arrival in Rhode Island. Will need to get help from someone with a larger hand.

This model does not fit the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (4 door) Rubicon model. This model has the spare tire carrier mounted directly to the read door of the Jeep. The mounting bracket will align with the three mounting screws on the spare tire carrier, but the carrier tongue (which fits thru the spare tire wheel centerpiece and then slips into the Yakima bike carrier post) won't align with the wheel centerpiece as it is welded onto the Yakima baseplate off-center. Lots of hard work and effort, but will return this model to REI. Don't waste your time if you have this 2012 Jeep model!!

This rack was very easy to install. I was looking for a bike rack for my Jeep Wrangler that would not only "look good" but one I could keep on the car and not have to take on & off when not in use. This one has been perfect! I like the locking feature to my spare tire eliminating the worry of locking my spare tire seperately to the vehicle. I have used the rack on a 2500 mile trip through Utah. No troubles at all. I was a bit worried about the bike being jerked around on the long drive, so I bunged the bike to the jeep just to be sure, not a big deal.

The only good thing about this rack is the quality of materials used in construction; other than that, this rack is terrible. No matter how much you tighten it down the rack can rotate 1-2 degrees to the left or right on your spare tire. The rear suspension on my MTB would not allow me to use all three straps to secure the bike. When I placed my road bike on the rack with my MTB, the two bikes could move and rub against each other. Absolutely a terrible rack, which is sad because I really don't want to take my front tire off and place my bike on a roof rack everytime I want to take it somewhere.

I bought this for my daughter to use to transport her two bikes. It was easy enough to install, but had lots of play in the mounting - wiggling back and forth. I had the installation checked by the folks at our local REI, and they agreed that it was wobbly, and even called Yakima for advice. We decided to try the carrier with the bikes, in spite of its insecure mounting, and the two bikes did not fit without taking the rear carrier off one of her bikes. During the trip, one of the bolts became even more loose, and the tool provided by Yakima did not fit into the socket. We were able to tighten it with a wrench, but it was not ideal. I ended up removing and replacing the spare tire four times during our attempts to move these two bikes. We have returned this carrier and will try another brand. REI employees were quite helpful - great customer service.

Easily installed on my '14 Jeep Sahara, no wobbles at all. Very stable and durable. Solid construction. Perfect for two bikes. I find this type of bike rack much easier to use than roof racks. Highly recommend!

Used this bike rack on a recent 3000K camping trip. Rake was perfect compliment for our Jeep Wrangler with a rear travel rack. Unit was easy to install and very easy to use for our 2 road bikes. Unfortunately the unit became loose often and I had to re-install ( tighten set screw after removing rake and spare tire ) about 6 times. I suspect it would have been more often had the bikes not have been sitting on the travel rack. I really like the unit but if I cannot figure out how to keep the set screw tight it will end up collecting dust in my garage.

This was a good rack for my 2009 Wrangler Unlimited. Got it on and it was sturdy for two bikes. I liked having it mounted on the door. However, living in a place that uses a lot of salt but also a place where I bike in the winter, the SpareTime "rusted" onto the Jeep. Maybe its just a jeep problem. But when I actually needed the spare tire I could not get to it. The SpareTime would not come off without some expensive effort that destroyed the rack (Jeep is fine)

Bike rack would not hold both or our bikes at one time. Both are basic hard tail bikes with 29 inch wheels. I even tried using the top tube adapter with no luck. I was equally unimpressed with it. The rack is advertised to work with off set spare tires which it did not work with my Chevy tracker. Even with it offset my bike was still overhanging the back of the car by a foot or more. This was the second Yakima bike rack I was not happy with. I purchased a tray style kuat rack locally which I love. Will be returning this.