Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2 Bike Review

The Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2 is designed for vehicles with a rear-mounted exterior spare tire, that uses a bolt system to secure the tire. It carries two bikes intended to carry two bikes. It is a quality product, as we’ve come to expect from the Scandinavian brand but it’s not perfect.

How We Rated It

Ease of Use (7/10)

If you're used to Thule products, you'll be familiar with the stay-put cradles and rubber band fasteners found on most bike racks that involve hanging a bike from the center tube. This rack is no exception. It also has detachable anti-sway cages at the points where the bike frame would likely make contact with the rack. The system has served Thule well as it is fairly easy to use.

It can be a challenge to fit it on the two fixed bars, depending on the size and geometry of your bike. This sometimes forces you to offset the one bar onto another part of the frame, as I had to do with my mountain bike. Tighten the straps properly and this should not be an issue.

Durability (8/10)

We've tested multiple Thule bike racks in the past and found them to be very well-made, durable, and functional. While this held mostly true for this rack as well, there is for some reason a bit of a sense that it is not quite up to their standards in some instances. There were some issues with the center mounting bolt (which we'll mention below) and the rack just feels a little more flimsy than others we tried.

The plastic lock cover has to be removed to fit the metal lock that is provided with the rack effectively crumbled away as we were trying to unscrew it. We found out afterward it needs to be rotated 90 degrees only, not unscrewed. This is not clear from the instructions. Also, the adjuster for the tire extension broke even with very little torque applied. Neither of these issues was a showstopper, but it is not what we have come to expect from Thule. They are also such basic and inexpensive parts that, surprisingly, they wouldn't just get it right.

Assembly (5/10)

Assembling a bike rack as simple as this should be, well, simple. Yet it was not. This was undoubtedly the one part of the experience that irked us the most. The assembly instructions are incorrect and in our case dated in regards to the tire size we mounted the rack on.

Once you've determined your tire size, there is a chart that indicates what combination of mounting bracket (short or long), standoff extension (short or long), and in which orientation you should place the mounting plate for your tire. We followed these instructions to the letter and the result was that the rack simply didn't fit snuggly on the tire. We went online to see what we were doing wrong and found several online discussions where users were lamenting this exact issue. Thule needs to improve and clarify their manual for this bike rack. It spoils the excitement of having a new piece of gear.

Removal And Storage (7/10)

Assuming you managed to overcome the installation issues. removing the rack is simply a matter of reversing everything again. If you're reluctant to go through the process again, the good news is the arms that extend outward can flip down, effectively compacting it against the spare tire. It takes up very little space in this position and if you use it regularly (like every weekend) then this might be a better option than fitting and removing it every time. The plastic knob that releases the arms to fold away can become quite tight and is often hard to turn.

If you remove the rack from the tire, this same folding action ensures that it is small enough to stow away easily without taking up much space at all.

Versatility (9/10)

The Thule Spare Me 2 offers the ability to customize the rack to fit a variety of wheel and tyre combinations. If you enjoy different cycling disciplines or haul a combination of kids and adult bikes, this is a useful feature.

Being able to off-set the rack to fit your specific tyre combination is another useful feature ensuring the rack is suited for a wide variety of vehicles with rear-mounted exterior spare tyres. Thule provides 2 different sized brackets with additional thread extenders if needed for the main support bolt.

Finally, they also considered vehicles that have off-center spare tire mounts. The rack can be centered by following a (surprisingly) simple set of instructions provided ensuring the tires of your bike and not extend past the side of the vehicle on one side.

Security (9/10)

The Thule 963PRO offers an integrated lock on the faster bolt that secures the rack to the spare tire. A cable lock system locks the bike to the rack. Both locks use the same key. One downside here is that the cable lock system is too short to reach through and secure the wheels of the bike, it can only be used to secure the frame to the rack (and maybe one wheel). You can of course purchase a separate additional cable, but you'll lose the convenience of a single key system in the process.

Conclusion

The Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2 is a good bike rack, but it has its flaws. While some of these flaws are more frustrations than flaws, and others are slightly superficial, they all do contribute to a sense of a product that may fall just short of what we've come to expect from Thule. Make no mistake, this is still a versatile and convenient spare tire rack once assembled. We're just wondering whether it justifies the price premium that you pay for this particular brand.