The Yakima Spare Joe Rack is a quick and convenient rackThat mounts rear mounted spareTires, allowing youToTransport upTo 2 bikes. Quick attachment and adjustment on almost any size spareTire Bikes are held firmly with anti-sway cradles Easily offsetsTo center bikes onThe vehicle Arms fold down when not in use 2 bike capacity
Submitted by
hardboiled
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2009
Strengths: Light weight, quick to mount and take off
Weaknesses: Strap mounting mechanism is not secure enough to vehicle
Bottom Line:
I was a big fan of this rack when I initially bought it and had no problems on several trips to Tahoe and back from the Bay Area (~200 mi each way). And then one day, driving home from a ride on the freeway with my bike attached to the rack and the rack on my SUV, the rack fell off the back of my car (with bike still attached). I always kept an eye on the rack/bike in my rearview mirror so I immediately saw what happened and freaked out, worrying that it would cause a major accident as I was traveling 65+ mph in the fast lane, and now there was a bike rack/bike bouncing in the lane behind me.
Fortunately it did not cause an accident. UNfortunately, someone stopped and picked up the rack and my bike and took off before I was able to recover it!! I was gutted.
Yakima offered to give me a new rack but refused to compensate me in any way for the loss of my bike. Needless to say, I declined the offer for a new rack and will not use a strap mounted rack like the Spare Joe again.
