Premier 2-Bike Model

I moved from Florida back to Virginia and needed a way to get my bike back on my Jeep. I have 35" thick tread tires and grabbed this the day before I left hoping it would work. It fit over my thick tire perfectly, stuck in place like a charm and my bike was solid the entire 12 hour drive! I did use extra bungies to make sure the tires and handlbars stayed in place, but was super impressed with how quick the install was and how great it worked.

We got this bike rack to use on our 2008 Toyota RAV4, to take our bikes to Florida on an 800 mile train trip with a 5 hour drive continuing afterward. I read a lot of reviews before I decided on the “premium” version for a few dollars more—primarily because I wanted the convenience of the rubber straps that are easier to strap the bike down (and remove) rather than the nylon straps that you must thread through the plastic clips that come with the lower-priced rack. Overall, this is a very sturdy bike rack, and it worked very well for our trip. Read on for a few things that disappointed me: The instructions are clear enough, but I did have to take a couple of extra minutes to figure out how to attach the lower bar to the rack. You need two 7/16 wrenches/ratchets to do that. I took a couple of close-up photos to show you which way it goes. Even after the couple of extra minutes to read the instructions a couple of times, I still put that lower bar on backward and had to remove it and redo-it. The instructions say to remove any outer cover off your tire before installing the bike rack because you might damage that cover. The downside of that is that we either need to leave that tire cover at home or make room for it inside the (packed) car. I didn’t realize that before I bought the bike rack. I was disappointed that the bike rack straps would not fasten securely to the bottom of the our RAV4 back door so that we could leave the rack in place and still open/close the door. But it would fasten securely only to the bottom of the bumper. It meant we had to make sure we were totally finished packing the car before we put the rack on (and that we would not need to access the back of the packed car during the trip)—once on, there’s no more opening and closing that back door. It took us a couple of trials to get the bikes on just right. We have two female bikes—since they have sloped bars, they worked best with the top bar in one cradle and the bottom bar in the other—that way, the bike was more level on the rack. The instructions say to install the second bike in the opposite direction and then use some additional straps to keep the front wheels fixed. I used 3 short bungee cords for that. We were NOT able to operate the back windshield wiper with this bike rack on, because one of the bike rack’s upper support bars was in the way of the wiper. We tested that before we started driving, so knew not to turn the back wiper on. Overall, this is a terrific bike rack. It is very sturdy, does the job well, and when mounted correctly, the bikes don’t move at all. I write honest reviews to help others make informed purchases because I read reviews myself and appreciate how helpful they can be. I hope that my review helped you!

Frame seems to be solid and should work well. I couldn't use the supplied straps because the bumper on my RV is tubular, not open on one side. I had to purchase different straps and then install it on my spare tire. It is very sturdy, time and lousy Louisiana highways will tell the tale.

I was researching different bike racks for my 2012 RAV4 and was considering a $300 model from REI. At $50, this one seemed cheap - suspiciously cheap. I ended giving this one a shot and I'm very pleased with my purchase. Installation took just a few minutes and it was good to go. Note for this model of RAV4, the straps were just barely not long enough to loop around under the bumper. I worked around this by attaching a carbiner clip through the hole I was attempting to reach with the strap, and attached the strap to the clip. The first time I used this was for a 750 mile drive from California to Utah on a fairly gusty day. Although it seemed very sturdy when installed in my driveway, it was still nerve racking for that first tank of gas. I was constantly watching my rear view mirror, paranoid it would somehow pop loose. I inspected the bikes during my first gas stop and they were snugly strapped in just the way I left them. I did not worry about the bikes for the rest of the drive. I could not be more pleased with my purchase.

Nice Rack! Quick to assemble. I put two bikes on that added up to 69 lbs. ( 70 lbs max rated) Fit perfectly on my Jeep Wranglers spare tire. I put “Top Bars” on both bikes so both mountain bikes would hang level in the rack. Strapped the bikes in with the supplied parts. This was the first ever bike excursion for my wife and I so I was hoping for the best bike rack experience possible. It was delivered ! Bikes went on and off the rack easily and the rack went on and off the spare tire easily. Can’t really ask for more in my opinion. I would certainly buy again.

Very high quality and secure bike rack! It fits my 2007 Toyota RAV4 perfectly, and holds two bikes safely over highway travel. I noticed another review that mentioned that they could not secure the straps underneath the door of their RAV4 so they had to strap it underneath the car, rendering the back door non functioning. This made me hesitate on this purchase but I went for it anyways. I did not have this issue, and am able to hook the straps under the door and tighten them without them budging. I am able to open and close the back door with the bike rack staying secure and holding two bikes, which will be perfect for camping. I do wish there was a way to lock the bikes and rack to the car, but that is the give and take for using this kind of rack. (My RAV4 does not have a hitch.) Very satisfied with this purchase!

Mine came obviously used and returned and resold to me-- no tools. I had already packed all my stuff and was in a hurry and had to use what I could come up with. Don't expect this to hold your bike in place if you're using a hitch underneath the spare to pull a trailer. My beloved bike didn't stay in place and therefore was destroyed. At first, I put it on wrong and had to take the whole thing apart and put it back together in the dark while I was traveling. And then I realized I just needed to swing it around to correctly prop it in place onto the spare tire.

Very sturdy. Folds up flatly for storage. Very easy to install and de-install. I bought this for my Honda CRV. It is an older model with the spare tire on the back door. The installation instructions are geared towards Jeep Wrangler. Unlike the Wrangler (or Toyota FJ), the underside of the CRV bumper is not metal. It cannot be used to anchor the rack. I emailed customer service for advice. They were very quick to respond and quite friendly. They suggested anchoring the rack to the underside of the door or the underside of the tire frame. In addition to providing proper stability, it allows the door to be opened. I am very impressed with the rack and the quality of customer service.