Customer Reviews

Yakima Spare Joe 2-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought the spare Joe last august and i've used it many times since and I can say i'm 90% satisfied considering that there are no other options but to get a roof rack and look as if you are racing in tour-de-france(which is silly for me if i'm going to bike 10 miles from my home).

The problems i faced are similar to the person who posted earlier with a rav4. There is a vital strip that has to pass between the tire and the back door to secure the whole thing to the tire. This takes time as there is a metal bracket behind the tire.But after u get used to it (you need patience, because you are trying to pass a strip through a small hole)it works fine. Again, the strip can pass behind the tire but it takes like 1-2 minutes to get it through. I have two Schwinn bikes and i feel comfortable carrying them together on the rack. There are two exposed bolts on the rack arms from below, be careful not to scrape anything. Also put the heavier bike inside, and put both bicycles in opposite direction so that the front of the first bike meets the back of the other bike. The straps should be very tight and the rack pushed down from the part below the rear wiper as it can seriously damage it if not properly set.

I purchased this rack for my 2007 Toyota Rav4, which has a rear mounted spare tire.

Unfortunately the Rav4 spare tire mounts onto a metal bracket. That bracket effectively blocks the strap that is supposed to run vertically behind the tire. Although I was able to jury rig it to basically work, I did not feel comfortable with the end product as it definitely didn't provide a firm attachment to the tire.

I returned it and purchased the Saris B.A.T. 2-Bike Spare Tire Rack, which has its own considerable problems but I did manage to eventually make it work.

I have an 06 Rav4 which does not allow you to use my old Thule 963 (Thule - 963 - Spare Me - 2 bike spare tire carrier) due to an odd little 'lip' on the spare tire mount. Got this rack instead and it performs as expected. I wouldn't recommend this for any rough offroad conditions though since it can slide around a bit when it gets bumpy.

Looks flimsy but works good. Bike centered well on back eventhough right side spare tire (20" and 16" frames). Would be less flimsy looking on spare tires that are normal tire size.

I purchased this rack in part because of past experiences with Yakima. The previous trunk mount rack I had from them worked great. The Spare Joe was of similar quality as well and for vehicles that it can be properly mounted to, it appeared to be a very good rack. Unfortunately I was not able to have the rack seat correctly on the spare of my 2005 Jeep Wrangler because of the 3rd brake light. I also have a 30" spare. If a smaller spare was mounted it may work, but I'm not sure. I ended up getting the Thule spare tire rack and am very happy with it. It does not mount around the tire, so the 3rd brake light is not an issue.

A Disappointing purchase that I had to return. Although online readers' commentaries claimed otherwise, this bike rack does NOT fit a Honda CRV 2003. The rack rests too high against the rear window; too high and too close to be able to get the straps behind the spare tire.

This bike rack works just fine on my '99 CR-V. It goes on quickly, comes off even quicker and is easy to store. However, any rack that must rely totally on holding onto the spare tire makes me a bit nervous. Would I feel comfomrtable taking two bikes on a long trip? No. But I just use it to take my own bike a few miles from home to the trail now and then. For that sort of use, it is perfect.

I use this on my 2006 Honda CRV to carry my Trek mountain bike. It works well once installed but can be a little tricky to get it on tight and level. When not in use it folds up nice.

I purchased this carrier and am very happy with it, but you should remember a few things.

I have a Chevrolet Tracker with a rear mounted tire and I do not want to take the factory tire cover off the tire. So I wanted a carrier that would not harm the cover and mount over it, and this one works just fine. Also this carrier does not interfear with the rear wiper blade when mounted. On some cars it might, but not in this case which pleased me. I can mount two bicycles with ease. And the door can open with the bikes mounted which is nice.

Here is what you need to do to keep the carrier from hurting the tire cover. Get some high quality foam pipe insullation without the split, or if you can't find it, use the kind that has the tape along the split to keep it closed.

Disassemble the carrier and slide the pipe foam onto the carrier bars. Then reassemble the carrier. It is easy. The foam will protect your tire cover, and will not let the carrier leave dents in it.

Also, be sure to use extra straps to keep the carrier doublely secure to the car, and to keep the bikes from swinging as you start and stop while driving.

There are no locks or ways to lock the carrier to the car, so be aware if you live in a high crime area. If you leave the bikes on the car, lock them to it with a cable. But when you take the bikes off, also take the carrier off. It is easy to remove and install and well worth not letting it get stolen.

I purchased the Spare Joe-2 for my 2009 RAV-4 back in July and I have to agree with a few of the comments made in reference to the center strap that goes behind the tire. This rack has two straps, one that goes around the tire you have to take the tire cover off) and one that goes behind the tire. I have had the rack on several times and I have not been able to get the strap to feed down through the back of the tire to secure it to the latch at the bottom of the frame. After spending a considerable amount of time trying to work this strap trough the back of the tire, I gave up.

I really like the concept of this particular bike rack so I decided to take a 48" heavy duty bungee cord and hook it to one side of the top (back portion) of the rack and stretch it around the bottom of the tire (ensuring to push it all the way to the back of the tire) and latching it to the other side of the top rack (back portion), this takes a little elbow grease. I also use a few smaller bungee cords and feed those through the spokes on the tire rim to latch on to the front side of the rack frame for extra security.

I feel very comfortable carrying two bikes with this rack and even if I would have been able to feed the center strap all the way through, I would have still used the bungee cords because I would not have felt comfortable with just the two straps they provided.

I only give this a 2 star because the concept is good but if you can't get the center back strap secured, you will not be able to use this device or the weight of the bike/s will cause the rack to come off of the tire.