Introduction To Spare Tire Mounted Bicycle Racks

    If you're in the market for a bicycle carrier and your vehicle has an externally mounted spare tire, you may already know that most hitch mounted racks won't work for you. Strap on racks that mount to your trunk or hatch are also out. Luckily, there are several bike racks available that will mount directly to your spare tire. In fact, installing one is quite simple, and should only take a few minutes. Currently, The Rack Warehouse offers three different models of spare tire mounted bicycle racks. So, if your vehicle has a rear mounted spare tire, and you like to ride bicycles, check out our comparison of these three racks. We hope that, just like Goldilocks, you'll find that one of them is "just right."

General Overview of Spare Tire Mounted Bicycle Carriers

    Just like most receiver hitch mounted bicycle racks, these carriers all hold your bikes by the top frame tube. If any of your bikes have step-through style frames, you'll need a bike frame adapter for each one.

    Allen, Thule, and Yakima all make their own bike frame adapters, and any one of them will work fine, no matter which brand of bicycle rack you purchase. You will need to remove your spare tire's cover, if any, before installing a spare tire mounted bike rack. This applies to both soft and hard covers. One more thing to keep in mind while choosing a spare tire mounted bike rack is that the manufacturers of these bicycle racks have tested them on vehicles with stock spare tires, so even if their fit guides show their rack as a fit for you, the rack may not work if your spare tire is NOT the standard size of spare tire that normally comes with your vehicle. If this is the case, you may want to speak with one of our rack experts before making a purchase.

Allen 303d Deluxe 3 Bike Spare Tire Mounted Rack

    The Allen Deluxe 3 Bike Spare Tire Mounted Rack has the largest bicycle carrying capacity of any spare tire rack we carry, with the ability to carry up to 3 bikes (100 lbs. max) at once. It will fit almost any rear mounted spare tire, including many spare tires with over-the-tire third brake lights (like Chevy Trackers  and Jeep Wranglers). Allen's patented tie-down system protects your bikes, holding them securely in position away from the road and hot exhaust. Installation is quite simple. Just set the top-foot/carry arm assembly over the top of your spare tire, rest the bottom-foot against the front of the tire, and hook the bottom hooks under the edge of you vehicle's hatch or bumper. Finally, tighten the two bottom straps and you're done! Please note that you should not open your trunk or hatch with the Allen Deluxe 3 Bike Spare Tire Mounted Rack in place.

Thule 963 Spare Me 2 Bike Spare Tire Mounted Bicycle Rack

 

    The Thule 963 Spare Me 2 Bike Spare Tire Mounted Bicycle Rack is definitely the most rock solid spare tire mounted rack available. The only downside? You'll have to remove that slick-looking cap (if you have one) from the center of your spare tire's rim. That's because the Thule Spare Me uses a mounting plate with a rugged steel post which comes out through the center of your spare, and unlike other spare tire racks that strap onto your spare, the Spare Me is locked onto the vehicle with a locking knob! You can download the PDF file with full installation instructions straight from Thule (or just stay here and read the next paragraph.)
    The first time you set up the Spare Me it will take you a couple of extra minutes to take off your spare tire, slide on the mounting plate, and reinstall your spare. After placing the mounting plate, getting the Spare Me off and on your vehicle is a breeze! Slide the Spare Me onto the mounting post that sticks out through your spare and tighten the locking knob into the center hole. If the Spare me doesn't set right up against your spare tire, pop the included spacer blocks onto the frame before tightening the locking knob. Now, if you're ready to load up your bikes, flip up the bike holder arms and lock them in place with the thumb wheels on either side of the Spare Me. If you want to baby your bicycles even more, you can pick up the Thule 538 Cable Lock with Keys for complete locking security, or get the  Thule 955 No Sway Cage Accessory to help keep your bikes from swaying back and forth on the road.

Yakima 2618 Spare Joe 2 Bike Spare Tire Carrier

    The Yakima 2618 Spare Joe 2 Bike Spare Tire Carrier is a versatile strap rack that fits almost any vehicle with a rear mounted spare tire (fits tire sizes p205/75R15 to 32x11.5/R15). It comes pre-assembled for use on spare tires that are mounted on the right side of the vehicle, but the bike holder arms can easily be adjusted for use on spare tires that are centered or on the left side. This keeps the bikes centered no matter where your spare tire is mounted. The Spare Joe can carry up to two bikes (70 lbs. maximum load).
    Installing the Yakima Spare Joe on your spare tire is simple and easy. Flip open the adjustment levers on either side of the Spare Joe, then set the top of frame around the top of your spare tire. Next, adjust the carrier's angle so that the bottom rests snug against the spare. Now pull the rear strap out under the pare and thread it though the bottom buckle, then take the right side strap, run it under the spare along the center of the tread and thread it through the left side buckle. Then level the rack and tighten the straps. If necessary, open the red levers again and rotate the bike support arms up to a slight angle, one at a time. Now you're ready to go!

    Now that we've shown you all the ways you can use your vehicle's spare tire to carry your bikes, we're sure you'll be ready for your next great road trip. Just don't go overboard and try to carry kayaks on your spare tire! We don't have any racks that can do that yet, although, you can carry skis and snowboards on the Spare Me with the Thule 987xt Hitch Ski Carrier for Hitch Mounted Bicycle Racks (but that will have to wait for another post.)