Saris B.A.T. 2-Bike Spare Tire Rack Review

Purchasing a bike rack for a 2007 Toyota Rav4 is a big pain in the a**.

The rear door for the 2007 (and I believe 2006, both of which saw a significant redesign to previous models) swings to the side rather than up. The spare tire is attached to the rear door, and there's a metal bracket that the tire bolts onto.

I originally purchased the Yakima Spare Joe and it didn't really fit on the Rav4 due to the bracket in the back blocking the strap that is supposed to run vertically behind the tire.

I returned that one and purchased this one instead. It's a pretty good price but requires that you also purchase one of two special metal pieces that goes behind the tire and eventually gives you something to bolt the BAT to. See: Saris BAT Spare Tire Rack Mounting Plate B - 996B. For a simple hunk of metal and a bolt, $50 is pretty ridiculously expensive, making the entire product much more expensive than it initially appears.

Once you get everything you have to attach it to your car. The plate the company recommends doesn't fit the Rav4 at all, as the spare tire mount (the Toyota bracket) has a metal lip that is in the way of the BAT bracket.

Your only options at this point are to return everything or bust out your handy metal grinder and grind off the entire metal lip on the spare tire mount. Which is what we did and at that point I was able to attach everything and it worked fine after that.

An additional annoyance is that to actually get to your spare tire in case of a flat, you need to remove the BAT, which is to be expected, but for some reason they didn't bother to make the final mounting bolt a size larger than can be removed by standard lug wrenches, so you have to carry an additional wrench around to removed the bolt.

It would have been handy if the customer rep that I spoke to on the phone from Saris had warned me ahead of time that this didn't fit my Rav4.

Anyway, now that everything is on it does seem to work fine.

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Product Description:
The Saris B.A.T. 2-Bike rack mounts securely to your spare tire. The fitted mounting plate (sold separately) ensures a solid connection.

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Yakima Spare Joe 2-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack Review

I bought the spare Joe last august and i've used it many times since and I can say i'm 90% satisfied considering that there are no other options but to get a roof rack and look as if you are racing in tour-de-france(which is silly for me if i'm going to bike 10 miles from my home).

The problems i faced are similar to the person who posted earlier with a rav4. There is a vital strip that has to pass between the tire and the back door to secure the whole thing to the tire. This takes time as there is a metal bracket behind the tire.But after u get used to it (you need patience, because you are trying to pass a strip through a small hole)it works fine. Again, the strip can pass behind the tire but it takes like 1-2 minutes to get it through. I have two Schwinn bikes and i feel comfortable carrying them together on the rack. There are two exposed bolts on the rack arms from below, be careful not to scrape anything. Also put the heavier bike inside, and put both bicycles in opposite direction so that the front of the first bike meets the back of the other bike. The straps should be very tight and the rack pushed down from the part below the rear wiper as it can seriously damage it if not properly set.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Yakima Spare Joe 2-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack

Product Description:
Got a spare tire mounted to the rear of your vehicle, but would like to carry a bike instead? Why not do both with the Yakima Spare Joe two-bike mount rack? The Spare Joe attaches quickly to almost any size spare tire, from sizes P205/75R15 to 32 x 11.5/R15M. Once attached, the Spare Joe centers your bikes and holds them firmly with its pair of anti-sway cradles, so you can drive confidently on both highways and dirt roads. And once you arrive at your destination, the arms fold down and out of the way, giving you full access once again to your spare tire. Ideal for anyone who carries a spare tire--both literally (on your car) and figuratively (around your midriff)--the Spare Joe carries a limited lifetime warranty.


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