Best Spare Tire Mounted Bike Rack Comparison Thule Vs Yakima
Question:
The Yakima Tube Top Bike Rack has a bottle opener at the end of the tube? Why didnt you say that in the first place!!! The bikes could fly off my car at 70 MPH, but at least I would have something to open my favorite adult beverage! That would have saved a lot of time and trouble! : I think I will go with the Yakima...
asked by: David N
Expert Reply:
The Thule Spare Me Bike rack part # TH963PRO and the Yakima Spare Tire part # Y02599 both do come with locks to secure the rack to your spare tire and cable locks to secure the bikes to the carrier. The biggest difference between the two and is only an advantage for some people is that the Yakima can fit on spare tires that are up to 12.5 inches wide whereas the Thule can only fit tires that are up to 10 inches wide. Aside from that the only actual feature that the Yakima has that the Thule doesn't is a bottle opener at the end of the cradle arms.
The Yakima does have more positive reviews than the Thule, but that doesn't mean it isn't as good. If you like the way the Thule installs or is set up then I guarantee it would work just fine for you.
As far as the adapter bars go, we all agree here that the best one to use is the Swagman part # 64005. It is the easiest to use by far and can work on any brand bike rack so I would recommend it for you. For your bike frame you would want to use an adapter bar. Check out the review video I attached.
Products Referenced in This Question
Swagman Bike Frame Adapter Bar - Small - 22-1/2" - 30" - 35 lbs
- Accessories and Parts
- Hitch Bike Racks
- Spare Tire Bike Racks
- Trunk Bike Racks
- Adapter Bar
- Frame
- 24-3/8 - 33-3/4 Inch Long
- Swagman
more information >
Thule Spare Me 2 Bike Rack - Spare Tire Mount - Folding Dual Arms
- Spare Tire Bike Racks
- Frame Mount - Anti-Sway
- 2 Bikes
- Bike and Rack Lock
- Dual Arm
- Folding
- Hanging Rack
- Thule
more information >
Yakima Tube Top Bike Adapter Bar
- Accessories and Parts
- Hitch Bike Racks
- Spare Tire Bike Racks
- Trunk Bike Racks
- Adapter Bar
- Frame
- Yakima
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Yakima SpareRide 2 Bike Rack - Spare Tire Mount - Folding Arms
- Spare Tire Bike Racks
- Frame Mount - Anti-Sway
- 2 Bikes
- Bike and Rack Lock
- Dual Arm
- Folding
- Hanging Rack
- Yakima
more information >
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David N.
10/8/2014
Hi Jameson, Very thorough answer and very timely as well... So the Swagman adapter seems like the way to go. So am I right in assuming I need one adapter for each bike? Thanks