Spare Tire Bike Rack: Thule 963 Spare Me

Looking to carry bikes off the rear of your vehicle, but don’t have a hitch? The easiest way for many people with a rear-mounted spare tire to haul bikes is with a rack mounted through or around the spare tire. The Thule 963 Spare Me is one such 2-bike rack. The Spare Me is designed to fit over an included threaded mounting plate that sits behind the spare tire, over the bolts the tire mounts on to. A locking knob with an attached bolt lets you secure the rack (though not your bikes) through the hole in the center of the tire.

From there, the power-coated frame of the rack sits against the spare tire with four adjustable rubber stoppers to ensure a snug fit. A U-shaped dual arm (that pivots to shrink the rack down for easy storage when not in use) holds the bikes from the cross tube (or equivalent bar adaptor, if necessary). Each bike sits in a pair of rubber cradles, with rubber chain-style straps used to secure the bike down in place.

If you have an offset spare tire, the rack can be adjusted slightly (3-4 inches) left or right by using one of the two extra side holes for the locking knob bolt to travel through. It’s not an enormous difference, but it may mean a bike tire that is tucked behind the side mirror instead of sticking out into traffic for some folks.

 

Pros:

• Easy to mount if you leave the mounting plate on behind your spare tire – just slide the rack on and crank the knob until it’s tight.
• Dual arm design allows for the widest range of bike frames to fit on. This is more likely to fit a child’s or woman’s bike with a non-standard frame than a single arm rack would.
• Thule lifetime warranty, plus a very nice look, finish, and quality evident on every part of the rack.

Cons:

• Bikes remain unlocked. You can solve this with a cable lock going through your rim in most cases.
• Rubber chain-style straps hold the bikes down adequately, but don’t offer the peace of mind of a bolt-and-wingnut style cradle.
• Not compatible with all spare tires. Check your vehicle on the Thule website or ask your dealer if you’ll have any problems.
• Often pricier than comparable Swagman models that have full locking out of the box.

Personally, I would go with this rack if you’re at all concerned about how your unique bike frame will fit into a single arm rack. If you plan to do any off-roading, you might want to go with a bolt-and-wingnut cradle single arm rack that will hold the bike down more firmly with a metal grip instead of a rubber one.