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bike racks for Gen III

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by loopybunny, Jul 15, 2009.

  1. Toyotatrio

    Toyotatrio Junior Member

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    2012 Prius
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    would like to see pics of the bones rack in place if anyone has it. thanks
     
  2. sambird

    sambird Junior Member

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    I am the designer, manufacturer, and seller of a 1-3 bike rack which will meet your needs.. Please have a look

    Bird Automotive.com

    We have several hundred of these on the road worldwide for Gen II, and Gen III is functionally identical. This is not a hitch so does not compromise factory warranty, and is not a hatch mount so won't risk destroying your rear wiper.

    Thanks. Sam Bird
     
  3. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    No, there's no chance of scratches. The fit is remarkably close though... so much so that the rack rides better on my 2010 than it did on my 2004.
    .
     
    1 person likes this.
  4. LetsGoCamping

    LetsGoCamping New Member

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    Location:
    Illinois
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    We are still waiting to hear that someone has made a 2" receiver hitch for our 2010 Prius, but guess not. So, now, we've looked at the Saris bones rack and are wondering if you who use them get any bouncing and movement of the bikes while traveling down the road? (Two bikes on our '05 Prius, using a receiver hitch and rack, were as solid as if they were permanently attached.) Have you had any scratching of the finish on the car from dirt, etc. under the straps and rollers?

    We saw a Yakima rack on a hatchback Chevy and it was a nice sleek look. Do any of you have a Yakima on your 2010 Prius?

    Currently we are carrying our bikes on our Roadtrek, but would rather not drive it to every bike trail when we aren't staying overnight in it, plus it takes a lot more gas than the Prius. Thanks!
     
  5. Oakmont

    Oakmont New Member

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    2010 Prius
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    II
    I just purchased the Saris Guardian II for my Gen III. Works great.

    Guardian 2-Bike
     
  6. Oakmont

    Oakmont New Member

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    according to Saris, the Bones is not approved for fitting to the Gen III
     
  7. fed123

    fed123 Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    I got the Bones for our Gen II but it works as well for Gen III.
     
  8. paulh

    paulh Junior Member

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    2010 Prius
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    IV
    I've got the Bones 3 for our other car. It works ok for the Prius IV that we have. I put padding under the arms that come in contact with the rear glass and under the straps that touch the spoiler. Even though it feels pretty solid when traveling,I wouldn't try more than two bikes on this. Our road bikes total maybe 40 lbs.
     
  9. charlotteprius

    charlotteprius New Member

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    Location:
    Charlotte, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    My son got me into mountain biking and we used one of the "strap on" trunk mounted racks that I have had for 20 years. Worked fine until he bought a full suspension bike that would not fit.

    I had already purchased Thule cross bars to carry a canoe and bought the Thule Sidearm bike racks from REI which allow you to leave the wheel on (actually, my bike is 30 pounds too and it is pretty easy to put on top). However, the mechanism that held the front wheel down would release a notch every once in a while...bad answer!

    Took the racks back to REI after 5 months and they refunded no questions asked...those guys are the best! Ended up with the Thule Criterium which I love....picture attached was with the Sidearm.

    HOWEVER, note that these dropped 6-8 MPG without bikes (bikes another 8 at highway speeds). I tried the Thule wind deflector but actually lost another 3 MPG!
     

    Attached Files:

  10. exbauer

    exbauer Active Member

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    It looks nice, I always liked the way the rack looks on top. But, the loss in mpg made me get a hitch mount bike rack. But, you cannot carry a kayak or canoe. You could always remove the rack when not in use. It is a pain though.

    What kind of wheels are those by the way?
     
  11. yamisoshi

    yamisoshi Junior Member

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    Location:
    Meridian, ID
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I know people are concerned about MPG loss from having a roof rack instead of a hitch mount, but with my Yakima roof rack with two bike mounts, I'm still averaging 48.6MPG...

    The people at Yakima were kind of enough to help me find the right clips to mount it on the car. Plus it looks nice. :)
     

    Attached Files:

  12. charlotteprius

    charlotteprius New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Wheels are 17" ICW Racing which you can get on Tirebuyer.com for about $115 each. Full disclosure...I work for the company that owns the website...check it out!
     
  13. mmichaell

    mmichaell Member

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    Location:
    chicago
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I'm averaging 53.5 real mpg with my Thule roof rack (no bikes on them). Its about a 3-4mpg hit, otherwise I'd be getting around 56-57mpg.
     
  14. vuduvgn

    vuduvgn Junior Member

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  15. mmichaell

    mmichaell Member

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  16. Powder Monkey

    Powder Monkey New Member

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    Consider SmartCrossbarsâ„¢ as an even better eco-friendly option. We've designed aero-bars to be 10X more efficient then round crossbars and 25X more efficient then square crossbars. So, you can have the convenience of a roof rack without the loss of fuel economy, and without the noise.

    Best part, the SmartCrossbarsâ„¢ integrate the attachment locking mechanism, so you never have to drive around with unused attachments on your car killing your Prius's MPG.

    The SmartCrossbarsâ„¢ can easily be installed on your Prius with any Yakima or Thule towers you've already purchased.

    The Monkey loves being greener!:rockon:
     
  17. Oakmont

    Oakmont New Member

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    Location:
    Pittsburgh
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Installed a curt rack and the Yakima doubledown. I called Yakima and they said as long as the curt rack didnt have the little "bump out" which would stop the class II Yakima rack from completely sliding in the hitch, I was good to go. A quick call to Curt told me that they do "not" have the "bump out" to prevent class II accessories from fitting, so all was good.

    Here's a few shots of my setup. Very nice, works great.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  18. LemonYellowSun

    LemonYellowSun New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Just picked up a Thule Raceway 3 hatch-mount bike rack today. The product is new-ish, so I wasn't able to find many reviews (for any car, let alone a Gen III Prius), but Thule claims that it will fit and it looks promising. I'll be heading out on a ~1500mi road trip this weekend, so I'll let you know how it works out... fingers crossed!
     
  19. LemonYellowSun

    LemonYellowSun New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    ^^^ For anyone interested, the Thule Raceway 3 worked out great. No dings, dents, scratches, or catastrophic failures to speak of!!!

    I was a little concerned at first about positioning of the rack on the car, as I did not want the top arm resting on the plastic spoiler. After a bit of trial and error, I found that the rack was most stable when the top arm rested on the rear windshield just above the spoiler. With the "fit dial" set to 7 (per Thule), this placed the lower arm in the lower portion of the license plate well, blocking the lower third of the plate. The cable system was flawless and very secure.

    Overall, I would highly recommend this system to anyone looking for an easy, nice looking bike rack solution for their Prius (or any other car for that matter). A bit pricey, but worth every penny!
     
  20. blur510

    blur510 New Member

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    will a full sized mountain bike fit inside a prius? I want to buy a bike but I don'treally want to buy a new roof rack.