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Thule 963 Spare Me 2-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack |  | Brand: Thule
Category: Sports
This item is no longer available
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 51267
Color: One Color
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Size: One Size
Shipping Weight (lbs): 21.2
Dimensions (in): 36 x 18.6 x 4.7
MPN: 963
Model: 963
UPC: 091021963177
EAN: 0091021963177
ASIN: B000GT1QQM
Release Date: August 4, 2007
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| Features:
| • | Spare-tire mount rack that carries up to 2 bikes at once | | • | Durable powder-coated steel tubing construction | | • | T3 cradles easily protect bikes; includes locking knob | | • | Improved wing knob makes it easy to raise bike arms | | • | Comes with heavy-duty strap to secure bikes |
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Product Description
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.
Product Features- Thule part number: 963
- Country of Origin: United States
Amazon.com Product Description
Designed for convenience and durability, the Thule Spare Me spare-tire mount rack holds up to two bikes at once, making it an ideal accessory for camping trips and cross-country drives. The Spare Me offers an updated, high-tech look that matches Thule's successful hitch line, so it won't look out of place on modern cars. More significantly, the rack's T3 cradles easily protect your bikes without sacrificing the fit of the frame or the rack's adjustability. And thanks to the improved wing knob, it's easier than ever to raise and lower the bike arms. Made of powder-coated steel tubing and designed to fit a wide range of tires, the Spare Me comes with a heavy-duty strap to secure the bikes and a locking knob that's compatible with Thule's 583 cable lock system. The Spare Me carries one or two bikes and handles up to 75 pounds.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
 Solid product & installed on 08 RAV4 April 7, 2009
Southpaux (Cleveland, OH)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
For owners of '06-'09 RAV4s, getting a bike rack that fits onto the spare tire isn't straight forward. As others have mentioned, getting a bike up on the roof is difficult and eliminates other roof storage. For me, I sometimes take my bike to work and ride from there, which is problematic since I park in a garage and height clearance also makes a roof rack not practical.
I initially heard about the difficulty of installing this rack in a newer model RAV4 because of the metallic flange on the spare tire mount (see Customer Images above). I decided to try the Yakima Spare Joe 2-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack, but found that it rubbed against the rear windshield wiper and long-term use of a loaded rack would have probably broken the wiper eventually. I was also not impressed with the "strap-on" systems which appeared a bit flimsy and easy to steal. I returned it to Amazon a bit disappointed and worried that I would have to buy a hitch mount for the RAV4 ($150 from ebay) in addition to a hitch-mounted bike rack ($100+). For some reason, I didnt really like the look of the hitch bike racks that are currently available (some of the single arm ones (Surco BT300 Spare Tire Mount Bike Rack, Up To 3 Bike Capacity) make the car look like it has a tail). RAV4 owners also know the problem of having a hitch-mounted rack is that it makes it difficult to easily open the rear door with bikes mounted.
So, I took a tip from one of the other posters on here and decided to just remove the metallic flange to allow for the Thule 963 to fit on my car. I liked the look, two support arms, easy tie-down w/ grooves for my bike cables, locking mechanism to prevent theft, and the fact that it mounts to the spare tire rack for a secure fit. It also allows me to open the door with the bikes mounted.
Instead of using a hacksaw, I took it to a local auto-body repair shop with the mounting bracket and explained that I wanted them to cut it off and file it down to be flush. [Note: the bracket doesn't support any weight of the spare tire and wasn't even on models '05 and earlier. Also, I own the car, so I don't mind making modifications.] For about $30 bucks and 10 minutes of their time, I was able to have it removed. They even put a little paint on where it was cut off, so you can't even really tell it was ever there in the first place. From there, it was simple to install - etrailer.com has a great demonstration video online. I posted the pictures of the final product here on Amazon. It fits great and feels very sturdy, not to mention looks good. I'm looking forward to a full season of riding!
Hopefully this helps some other RAV4 owners out there!
A product that delivers! March 10, 2009
Christopher C. Courter (Wilmington, NC)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This bike rack, the Thule Spare Me, does EXACTLY what it promises. We mounted this rack to a Suzuki XL-7 with no problem at all. In fact, the rack comes with adapters (4 rubber bumpers) in case the rack doesn't seat properly on a spare tire. In our case, the bumpers were unnecessary.
Here are a few personal tips:
1. Make sure you use the hole (there are three) that allows the rack to be the most centered on your vehicle.
2. If you find that the locking knob that screws in to the receiver on your spare doesn't go in very far, let a little air out of your spare. Also, we found that doing this allowed the rack to push in to the rubber of the tire more...and made it more stable.
3. We found that the arm would not go ALL the way down when not in use. It goes down, but it does not "lock" down as it should as it hits the tire first. This is not a big issue...but if you see it doesn't go all the way down, then DO NOT over tighten the arm locks while in the down position, you may damage the plastic!
4. We found that we had to adjust the straps that hold the bikes on by sliding the rear holders ALL the way toward the back of the arm.
5. Always put the HEAVY bike closest to the tire for stability!
We were new to the world of bike racks and found that it was a good idea to buy TWO cable locks. The first is thick and we place it through the center part of the rack (where the Thule sticker is) and through the frames of the bikes. The second is used to go through all four bike tires. This serves two purposes...nobody steals the tires...and the tires don't constantly spin due to high wind while driving!
We LOVE this bike rack and it works perfectly! Do not be discouraged if, when you get your rack, you can't get it to fit inside your bike frame. We purchased bike bars (about $20.00 a piece) to solve the issue.
Christopher
Works great with my 2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara August 25, 2008
M. Grant
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I just returned from a weekend camping trip, my first using this product, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It was simple to install. I was concerned that my spare tire (the standard tire from Jeep) might be too big, but it fits wonderfully. I was able to take my men's mountain bike and my girlfriend's women's mountain bike down the freeways and back-roads of Southern California without any issues from the rack. Getting the bikes mounted is pretty easy. It was a little different with my girlfriends bike since the bike has different bar angles, but I was able to make it work. I used my bike lock as an additional tie-down just in case, but it wasn't necessary. This morning I took the bikes off and the system easily collapses flat against the tire. You could even take the whole thing off between trips if you don't like the look of the rack. Its so easy to put back on! I shopped around and found Amazon was a bit cheaper than most.
Great for my 1999 Honda CR-V and full size man's 21-speed bike. July 29, 2008
J. Mason (Guilderland, NY USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have a 1999 Honda CR-V and this works perfectly with my son's full size Raleigh 21-speed. Place the front end of the bike on the right side of the car and it hardly sticks out at all. Easy to install, simple functional design. Good choice for my car.
Thule 963 Spare Me 2 Bike Rack August 27, 2008
W. Kalamon (Eastern Pennsylvania)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This was a very good investment. The Rack is very sturdy and a great alternative to having to buy a Class 1 or 2 hitch plus a rack for our Honda CRV. What's nice is in a few moments, I can take the rack off plus, it has a key lock so someone else can't quickly remove it.
It is very adjustable and folds down tight against the tire so it doesn't stick out when we are not using it.
I found that all of the Thule products are very well made. Typical quality Swedish design.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 29
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