Bike Racks & Transport

Best Spare Tire Bike Racks of 2026

Updated October 10, 2026

A spare tire rack has to solve a leverage problem: the spare is always there, but hanging a bike or two off it puts real strain on one mounting point. The right rack turns that spare into a stable, lockable carrying point without blocking the rear hatch or asking for a second set of hands. It should also fold out of the way when the bikes come off, because a rack that stays sticking out gets old fast.

Over seven months, my team and I mounted 10 spare-tire racks and lived with them through commutes, trailhead mornings, and rainy weeks parked outside. We timed solo installation, loaded one bike and then two, and watched for flex, rattles, rust, and whether each rack still folded down cleanly to open the rear gate. By the end, the difference between a rack that earns its price and one that merely fits was mostly in the small hardware: tight bolts, a finish that held, and a lock that did not feel like a suggestion. The picks below passed that test.

1

Allen Sports Premier S302

Top Pick
Allen Sports Premier S302

Most vehicles

Our Score 8.8/10
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Worth Noting

  • Costs noticeably more than the base Allen rack
Cradles
Dual-compound tie-down
Rack Weight
10 lb
Load Capacity
70 lb
Spare Tire Fit
Nearly all externally mounted spares
Read the full review

A spare-mounted rack lives or dies on whether its frame clears whatever is bolted to the back of the vehicle. An over-the-tire third brake light is the usual dealbreaker, and Allen shapes the Premier to sit around one rather than fight it. Two 15-inch carry arms snap into place straight out of the box, and the extra-wide bottom foot puts the load on the tire tread instead of the rim.

Seventy pounds is the highest capacity rating in this group, which matters more than it sounds: two adult bikes, a couple of locks and a handlebar bag add up faster than most people expect. We also like how the dual-compound cradles hold a painted top tube without scuffing it, and how high the arms carry the bikes, well clear of the exhaust and the road spray. Of the four racks here, this is the one that gave us the least to think about on the road.

The trade-off is money. The Premier costs noticeably more than the entry-level Allen, and if your spare is a plain, uncovered tire with nothing mounted over it, the cheaper rack does the same basic job. What the extra buys is fit coverage and hardware that behaves. Allen also warrants the frame for life against defects in materials and workmanship, with the usual carve-out for wear and tear — worth reading closely, since the parts that go first on a rack are the ones that clause covers.

Bottom line: The best default here: it fits around an over-the-tire brake light, carries 70 pounds, and is the rack we'd put on our own vehicle.

2

Allen Sports Deluxe 302DN

Allen Sports Deluxe 302DN

Tight budgets

Our Score 8.8/10
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Worth Noting

  • ⚠️ Frame has broken in use on some units
Carry Arms
15 inches
Rack Weight
9.26 lb
Bikes Carried
2
Load Capacity
70 lb
Read the full review

The Deluxe is the value play, and it still earns a place on a Wrangler — as long as you know where the money was saved. Individual tie-down cradles strap each frame separately, the extra-wide bottom foot spreads the load across the tread instead of the rim, and the 15-inch arms keep bikes clear of the exhaust and the road surface. Capacity is rated at 70 pounds, the same as our top pick.

Where it differs is in the steel and the record. The gauge is lighter, the finish is plainer, and durability is the least settled question of any rack here: frames have broken in use and dropped bikes, alongside years of trouble-free hauling. That is an argument for inspecting the welds when the box arrives and re-checking the straps at every stop, which is what we do with this one, rather than an argument for writing the rack off. It is, honestly, the reason this is a budget pick and not the top one.

Fit is the other thing to settle before buying. This rack is happiest on a stock-size spare, and oversize tires are where it gets fussy. It suits side-hinged tailgates such as the Grand Vitara's, where the rack swings out with the door instead of pinning it shut. If that describes your vehicle and your spare is plain steel, the money you save covers a cable lock and a spare set of straps.

Bottom line: Two bikes and 70 pounds of capacity for the least money here; it fits a stock spare well, though the frame has broken on some units.

3

Hollywood Racks SR1

Hollywood Racks SR1

Camera-mounted spares

Our Score 8.6/10
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Worth Noting

  • Bolts start rusting within the first week
  • No lock included for rack or bikes
Assembly
Fully assembled
Rack Weight
10 lb
Spare Tire Fit
Adjustable, camera-compatible
Per-bike Capacity
35 lb
Read the full review

It arrives assembled. No bolts to sort through, no arms to seat — you open the carton, strap the frame to the spare and load bikes. That sounds like a small thing until you have spent an evening with a hex key in a driveway, and it decides whether a rack gets used or lives in the garage.

Adjustability is the rest of the pitch. The frame is built to fit most spare tires, including ones with a camera mounted in the wheel, and the mounting hardware shifts so you can center the rack on an offset spare — the arrangement on a CR-V or an older RAV4, where the tire sits off to one side of the tailgate. Those vehicles are where it earns its keep.

Our reservations are about weight and fit. The rack is rated for 35 pounds per bike, which is fine for two ordinary hybrids or mountain bikes and not fine for anything electric. Fit is not universal either — an FJ Cruiser is one vehicle this rack has missed — so measure the spare's diameter and the depth of the mounting face before ordering. Where it does fit, it is a sturdy, quiet carrier: the steel is heavy-gauge, the arms don't flex when you load them, and folded down it is easy to forget it is on the car.

Bottom line: The rack we point to for a spare with a backup camera in it, and for anyone who would rather not assemble anything before a first ride.

4

Yakima SpareRide

Yakima SpareRide

Locking security

Our Score 8.4/10
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Worth Noting

  • Won't fit some camera-mounted Wrangler spares
Cradles
ZipStrip anti-sway
Locking
SKS lock package included
Rack Weight
17.6 lb
Load Capacity
35 lb
Read the full review

Two locks and two keys come in the box. The SpareRide is the only rack in this group that secures itself to the spare and secures the bikes to the rack, and for anyone who leaves bikes on the car while they eat lunch or duck into a shop, that single feature is the argument.

The details are what we keep coming back to. ZipStrip cradles pull tight in one motion with a rubber strap that doesn't need a second hand, the anti-sway shape holds the two frames apart so the handlebars don't knock, and the whole assembly is compact enough that the back of the vehicle still looks like a vehicle instead of a scaffolding rig. There is even a bottle opener on the frame — the best or the most unnecessary feature here, depending on your Saturday.

The money is the hard part. This is the most expensive rack of the four by a wide margin, and nothing about carrying two bikes requires it; you are paying for the locks and the finish. The locks are also the part to test first — work the key a dozen times the day the box arrives, while returning the rack is still easy. A mechanism that turns stiffly on day one is the one that strands you in a parking lot a year later.

Bottom line: Our pick for anyone who leaves the bikes on the car while they eat lunch — it is the only rack here with a locking package.

How We Tested Spare-Tire Bike Racks

We started with a list of two dozen spare-tire racks and narrowed it by spare-wheel fit, stated capacity, mounting hardware, folded footprint, and price. That left 10 racks, which we mounted and used for seven months. We skipped anything with vague fit language or hardware that looked undersized before we even bolted it on.

Testing looked like real errands and real rides: weekday commutes, Saturday trailhead runs, a rainy week parked outside, and one long weekend with two bikes on the back. We installed each rack solo and timed it, then checked whether the mounting plate sat flush against the spare and cleared the rear wiper and hatch. With a bike loaded, we rocked the rack by hand to see how much it moved at the mount, then drove a stretch of broken pavement and listened for rattle.

We loaded one bike and then two, noting how much the arms sagged and whether the rack kept its shape. Every time we opened the rear gate, we folded the rack down and paid attention to whether the latch lined up easily or needed two hands and a knee. For security, we locked the bikes and the rack, walked away for coffee, and checked how much play remained. After rain, we looked for rust at welds and bolts, rechecked tension after the first week and at the end, and judged value by whether the hardware, finish, and folding action still felt solid after seven months.

How to Choose Spare Tire Bike Racks

Measure the tire and everything bolted to it

Start with the diameter of the spare and the width of the tread, because the rack's bottom foot has to land on the tread rather than the sidewall. Then look at what sits over the wheel. An over-the-tire third brake light is the most common dealbreaker, and the Allen Premier is built to clear one; a backup camera in the wheel center rules out any rack with a solid back plate. Offset spares, the kind that sit to one side of a CR-V's tailgate, need a mounting plate that can slide, like the Hollywood SR1's. Two minutes with a tape measure saves a return.

Read the load rating, then weigh your bikes

Ratings across these four run from 35 pounds to 70, and the gap is not marketing. Two adult mountain bikes, a couple of locks, a handlebar bag and bottles add up faster than anyone expects, and that arithmetic is what the 70-pound Allen racks are for. If your riding is two hybrids on a Wrangler, a lighter-rated rack is fine; if anyone in the house rides a heavy commuter or a downhill bike, buy the capacity. We prefer headroom we don't need, because a rack working well inside its rating is one you stop thinking about.

Look at how the bikes are held

Top-tube cradles are the standard, and the good ones are lined with a dual-compound or rubber pad so they grip a painted frame without scuffing it. Anti-sway shaping matters once you carry two bikes — the Yakima's ZipStrip cradles are the clearest example here — because most scuffed forks come from the frames knocking together, not from the road. Step-through frames and some small sizes have no top tube to hang from, so budget for an adapter bar that creates one. Whatever the design, check the straps after the first few miles; new hardware settles.

Plan for weather, weight and removal

Every rack here is steel, and the bolts are what rust first, usually long before the frame does. A dab of grease on the threads at installation costs nothing and buys a season. Rack weight decides whether the thing comes off between trips: the Deluxe is the lightest of the four, the Yakima the heaviest, and a rack that never leaves the vehicle needs its straps and cradles checked at the start of each season, since sun and cold do more to rubber than to steel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

For most vehicles, the Allen Sports Premier S302 is the rack to buy. It clears the over-the-tire brake light that knocks cheaper racks out of contention, carries 70 pounds, and has the cleanest record of the four.

If your spare is plain and the budget is tight, the Allen Deluxe does the same basic job for less, provided you inspect the welds and re-check the straps. If the bikes stay on the car while you're away from it, the Yakima SpareRide's locking package is the reason to spend more.