Does anyone know if I can fit a medium 29er mountain bike inside my prius? I am thinking of picking one up (buying used on craigslist) Thanks hopefully someone can help.
Was able to fit my mountain bike in my 2nd ten when I bought it. You should have no problem. It WAS a tight fit - make sure to put the rear wheel in first. Manipulate the handlebars / front tires just right and you should be able to JUUUUST put the hatch down gently. Then press down to lock. Click. Good to go. :0)
A 26" fit without a problem. Worse case you take front wheel off, I think it will fit just fine. I always have some bungee in my cars for a worse-case like you need to keep the trunk up, though (but you won't for this).
As mentioned, taking the front wheel off might make it easier. Also, with an allen wrench you can loosen one bolt and turn the handlebars 90 degrees so they line up with the bike frame - and usually that same allen wrench will allow you to lower the seat. Those two adjustments take less than a minute and will allow you to put a bike in a smaller confined space. I make sure the side of the bike with the chain, and derailuers, is on the side that's up so grease/oil does not get on the car and while the bike is on it's side it does not bend or affect any of that gearing.
Shouldn't be an issue. I was able to fit my full size 60cm road bike in without issue. Check youtube and you'll find some videos of people putting in all sorts of bikes in their Prius. I would just recommend laying down a blanket first.
Yes, a mountain bike can easily fit inside since the handle is short. I got my wife an Electra Townie and it would not fit unless I take out the front wheel. The handle is long for being a comfort / cruiser bike. So I bought Saris Guardian 2 rack to carry both in the back. It works well with the Prius. I can still lift up the hatch with the rack installed (of course without the bikes mounted).
Yep, I do it all the time - see attached pic. I do have to take the front wheel off though. I love that I can also sneak my surfboard in. I usually go riding mid afternoon and then hop in the ocean until sunset. I love spending my hard earned money on fun things likes mountain bikes and surfboards instead of throwing away money on oil and never-ending maintenance. What a concept
That is awesome in plan and execution. Quick bike story about how it's best to fit your bike inside the car if at all possible: One of my co-workers became blind over the years but he and his wife don't let it stop their enjoyment of the outdoors. They continue to hike, cross-country ski, and bike together. (As an aside, his day job is performance optimization of other folks database queries. He uses voice software, a few other self-made software tools, and an awesome memory. I don't know if I could do it that way.) Anyway, they use a tandem bicycle which they mount atop their Chevy. Her jobs are to drive the car and the bike. His jobs are to load / unload the bike and provide propulsion on the bike. (Ala the ICE on the Prius.) One day they came home from a ride and stopped in the driveway. When he got out of the car, they were distracted by something, a process breakdown ensued, and she attempted to park the car in the garage with the bike still on top. There was significant (but repairable) damage to the bike, bike rack, car roof, and garage.
I picked up a trek 'gary fischer' 29'er special and it *JUST* barely fit in my gen3 with the rear seats down on the drive home. (i do recommend if you are thinking of going internal vs external getting a drop sheet or two from a hardware store so you don't dirt/oil/grease up the bed. More recently I've managed to actually fit two 29'ers in, on top of each other with an extra drop cloth between to prevent scrapes etc, but in that case both had to have the front wheels dropped first. If you are considering getting a bike and are thinking of internal vs external transport I would reccomend going the extra mile (or $100ish) and getting one with a disc brake, that makes dropping the front tire a 5 second affair vs 5 minute, and never have to worry about getting the brake mis-aligned over time doing it.
