More Information
 On: 2006-10-31
I did not have the problems that Lady Trek had with the bars moving and scraping the paint on my bikes. The carry bars lock into position when in the carry position. They do not lock into the folded position though so they can stick out a bit - annoying perhaps but not crtitcal.
I was able to position the rack very securly on my CRV tire. You do need a wrench to tighten the bar that clamps down on the tire in order to properly secure the rack. I also realized that I had to be sure to keep the wrench in the car in case I ever needed to use the spare tire. You cant get the rack off the tire without loosening the tire clamp bar. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER!!
I also like that you can position the rack so that it is centered on the car even though the spare tire is offset to one side.
I DO NOT like the fact that my bike (adult size mens mountain bike)is carried so low. Try as I might, I couldnt get the tires more than 6 or 7 inches above the ground when the bike is on the rack - but Im a big guy and I have a big bike. My wifes smaller bike fit better but it was still lower than I would like (say 10" above the ground). I might be able to reposition the rack a bit to help to alleviate this problem.
A thought about security - the rack does not lock to the car, but as I said, it cant be removed without the proper wrench if youve tightened up the tire clamp bar real good, so thats not too much of a worry unless you leave you bikes on the rack for extended unattended periods. There is a nifty clamp thingy that goes over the top tube of your bike in the outer position only to which you can affix a lock, thereby locking the bike(s) to the rack.
Anyway - its realtively cheap, does the job adequately and easy to deal with. I give it a qualified thumbs up (3.5 stars if half stars were allowed) keeping in mind the carry height issue. Oh - and keep that wrench in the car in case you get a flat!
BTW - does anyone realize that there is no locking mechanism on the Honda CRV spare tire? In theory, someone could steal the spare tire and the bikes and rack using nothing more than a lug wrench. Of course, it would make a pretty unwieldy thing to run off with, but stranger things have hapened....
 On: 2006-07-16
Graber should be ashamed of themselves for this product... This rack will scrape the paint right off your bike; the arms of the rack that fold closed pop out of place with a bike on the rack sliding your bike around; the rack itself does not stay in place despite trying bungee cords, ratchet tie-downs, etc. This was a complete and total waste of money - AND damaged my bike. On top of all that, it is NOT an inexpensive rack! Save yourself aggravation and choose a different rack...
 On: 2006-06-26
I got this rack about a month ago - it fits right over my spare - and the great thing is it can be adjusted if you have an off center spare (mines a CRV). Very easy assembly. It can also be swicthed from car to car easily. The only drawback here is that it is not actually locked onto the car - so it could be stolen right off the tire when it isnt in use ( and the bike with it). What I did was to buy a small chain and lock - and I just locked the rack to the car (The bike locks to the rack) to insure security when Im in places I dont know well. Overall a good rack for the price (The other off center spare rack is the Thule - a minimum of 160.00, even from EBay - and the assembly is harder)
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