Recommended Replacement Cradles and Straps for Older Thule Spare Me Bike Rack

Question:

I have a pretty old Thule Spare Me bike rack - probably over 10 years old - it holds 2 bikes mounted on spare tire. The cradle is a 1 piece black cradle with strap attached which comes out of the cradle from a molded piece that is light grey in color. I looked on the Thule website and it shows on the spare parts list for the Spare Me 943 the replacement being 853-5829 + 753-3535 for the cradle and strap. However, I saw a photo from another person on this website that had the one piece cradle/strap and a different combo was recommended. So I am bit confused as to which makes more sense for my Spare Me. Also, I have no clue if my Spare Me is model #943 or not but definitely is a Spare Me so maybe that is the difference? The end caps do have screws holding them in place and the tubes would likely be 1inch in diameter. Any chance you can recommend to me which cradle/strap combo is the best for a 10+ year Thule Spare Me rack? Thank you.

asked by: Loretta

Expert Reply:

Thank you for clearly explaining your needs for replacement cradle components for your older Thule Spare Me bike carrier.

I did confirm with my contact at Thule that the two replacement parts you referenced, T3 Cradle Body # 853-5829 and Rubber Strap # 753-3535, are indeed the correct current replacement parts for your 10+ year-old Spare Me rack. These are not identical to the original parts but they will work fine. Both of these are sold as single units.

Thule is a company that truly respects its customers and their investment in their products and offers about the best after-sale support in the industry.

expert reply by: Adam R