Will Thule Spare Me 2 Spare Tire Bike Carrier Hold Full Suspension Bikes on a 2005 Honda CR-V

Question:

looks like the thule Spare Me 2 is what I need for my Honda CRV 2005... what I am wondering, will this bike carrier fit 2 Giant Mountain bikes dual suspension with 26inch wheels and also allow room for attaching our tear- trailer camper to my trailer hitch without interfering /damaging the bikes?

asked by: Jamie

Expert Reply:

The Thule Spare Me spare tire mount bike carrier # TH963PRO is a fit for your 2005 Honda CR-V and you can load the full suspension bikes but you will likely need adapter bars such as # 64005 to be able to load them. This is going to be the case with any hanging style bike carrier and bikes with dual suspension.

To keep plenty of distance between the bikes and the trailer you might be able to use a longer ball mount if you have a Class III trailer hitch with a 2 inch receiver opening. Ball mount # BM20 measures 13-1/4 inches from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the ball hole.

If you have a 1-1/4 inch receiver opening then that won't work but I do have another possible solution. The issue is that it is difficult to determine if the turning radius will be negatively impacted unless you actually try it. But what you can do is push the cradles on the carry back (closer towards the vehicle) to gain a couple of inches.

I have linked a video review of the carrier and one for the adapter bar for you.

expert reply by: Michael H