SportRack 3-Bike Spare Tire Bike Rack
3.3
5
3
3
Buyer Beware
Think twice about buying this product (and anything from SportRack), it has 1 year warranty for a reason. I thought this was perfect for my Jeep Liberty. The rear tire mount model was what the vehicle needed. This carrier has a moulded inner ring to thread most vehicle's spare tire mount. The Liberty has 3 threaded bolts for the spare. Unfortunately, the patterns do not match perfectly so almost all of the weight is on one single bolt. It is not universal, look at your vehicle first. My road bike is light enough to be supported, but add a second bike and the sag becomes very apparent. I never made it to a 3rd bike. In fact, I never ever put more than one bike on again. I used my van for transporting the family bikes, so this was liveable but not the end of the story. The locking mechanisms rust out very quickly. The top lock rusted out immediately and so it was useless to lock your bike to and leave the vehicle. FYI, CT does sell replacement locks at $30 a pop (Part #40-1028-4) for a reason. This must be common to SportRack locks. Since I rarely leave my bike, this was also livable. I could still transport from point A to B, ride and then put it back on. (At this point I should have returned the unit but was not smart enough not too, read on for the gripping conclusion). Finally, while on the way back from a ride, I got a flat. Unfortunately, there is also a locking mechanism to the tire mount. This had also rusted out. No amount of WD-40 and muscle could unlock it. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, I needed to drive on a flat until I could find someone with a saw. I had to saw the unit's lock of to access my spare. Of course, this was just after the year mark. By then the warranty was over and everyone shrugged their shoulders. Thule owns SportRack, they also said "too bad". Not sure why Thule would put their brand at risk for this line. This is just an inferior product, you are not saving money. Save your bike, your aggravation and your money. P.S. This product is not in SportRack's latest catalog on their website so buyer, truly, truly beware of this model in particular and SportRack in general.
September 28, 2011
very good carrier
I bought mine to install on my spare tire of my tent trailer. I reinforced the tire mount with angle iron bars because the tire mount is quite weak on any tent trailers. Also I installed a 2 inches ratchet strap from the rack running over the roof of the trailer and hooking up on the tonge of the trailer. This way the rack is very secure and can load 2 bikes with no problem. Be sure to add more weight on the front of the trailer to conpensate for the weight of the bikes. It is a very good rack and once and a while they are on sale for 25% off.
December 6, 2008
Check your vehicle rating
The 70lb rating is for the bike rack. Make sure your rear-mounter spare tire carrier is capable of handling the additional load. If you run oversized tires, the spare tire carrier on your vehicle may already be overloaded. If you are carrying just one bike you should be fine, but I have seen an import SUV where the strain of the additional load on the spare tire carrier "fatigued" the metal and practilly tore off the sheetmetal. Not pretty. Works perfect on Jeeps and Blazers
November 10, 2007
