Bike Rack / Carrier

I considered all the points previously mentioned in this thread before recently buying a bike rack for my 2010 Gen III. I had always used roof racks exclusively (Thule) previously, had never had much problem with them except having to remember they were up there when pulling in garages, etc. and having to lift them up. I don't mind lifting my road bike up there but I just bought a 29er and it didn't seem feasible to heft it to the roof.

So here is what I ended up with and how it addresses some of the negatives mentioned. I went with a 1Up hitch mount. It came in a black anodized finish model which looks pretty good. To mount it to the car I also used the Curt hitch. It wasn't hard to install aside from moving the muffler out of the way to get to the bolt on the one side.

The 1Up rack is very sturdy aluminum. It unfolds and attaches to the 1-1/4" hitch in less than a minute so I don't have to drive around with the rack on there because I'm too lazy to take it off. With the second bike kit attached the bikes do not hit each other at all, similar to my previous roof rack. The pedals don't come near the car either.

The way the rack slopes up in the back helps when I'm pulling out of driveways that have a dip in them as there is less chance of scraping something.

Although there is interference when the rack is loaded with bikes, the hatch lid opens fine when the rack is in the stowed position. When the bikes are on it and you need to get in the back you can tip the rack down and then the hatch can be opened.

The bikes are easily loaded onto the hitch rack. It only takes me about 30 seconds per bike. The rack only touches the tires of the bike so won't scratch my bike or put unnecessary stresses on my road bike carbon frame. Putting my wife's hybrid or my 29er on is just as easy as the road bike even though they are much heavier.

I like having the hitch in case I want to put something else on there later. It really isn't noticeable to the appearance of the car. I bought a rubber plug that goes into the 1-1/4 square hole which conceals it.

There is no integrated locking system for the 1Up which is a concern but the hitch itself uses a special tool to fasten it to the car so that helps. I got a heavy padded chain to put around the frames and hitch and it deters theft just fine. I do like the Thule locks I had on my previous roof rack though especially when they are all keyed the same.

My mileage is definitely lower with the rack on and I would expect similar results from a roof rack when traveling at highway speeds. I just drove about 1000 miles and averaged about 41.8. At lower speeds of local driving it's not really noticeable.

As SpikeVFR mentioned there are always pros and cons to any rack setup. This is what worked for me. Like I said, I was always accustomed to using roof racks before this so it took a lot to convince myself that the hitch solution would work out. But now that I have the rack on there I'm really liking it. I can put the rack on followed by the bike and literally be driving away in just a few minutes. When I'm done riding I'm packed up and ready to go while everyone else is fumbling with lifting bikes, removing wheels etc.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The 1Up is made in the U.S.A! It is expensive though but so are the Thule roof racks once you get everything you need.

If anyone wants some pics I will take and share them. There are some others of the 1Up that are elsewhere on PriusChat but it seems they have changed the design of the hitch rack a bit since those were taken.

 

I bought my Curt Hitch at Amazon.com, and my Bike rack from e-trailer.com, platform Bike Racks are great, I did not want to place my 30lb bike on top of my roof..

 

Hi Sushi,

Which rack did you go with?

 

I've had the prior generation 2" receiver 1upusa rack on my Gen II Prius for about 6 years. A wonderful rack from a great company who makes very high quality products. They went through 1 or 2 year period where they stopped producing their own racks and sold models from others. It's good to see them back making their great design out of Aluminum with a number of CNC machined parts.

As of yesterday that 2005 Gen II Prius was traded for a 2011 Prius & I'm considering my bike carrying options in preparation for spring. Back in the Gen II days I remember someone who had a custom reinforcement welded from the Coastal 2" rack and bolted onto the rear central lift point (http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-solved-coastal-hitch-droop-bend-problem.html). It stiffened the hitch assembly enough so 4 bikes could be handled without concern. Has anyone tried something like this yet with the Gen III? When needing to carry 4 bikes, I did the poor man's approach & added some extra straps to share the load with the hitch (http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-modifications/24660-hitch-mount-bike-rack-suspenders.html), but the other solution is much better.

From a MPG standpoint, the roof does seem to take a bigger hit than the rear, and you end up with more noise. None of the options are perfect. I'd also see a difference between the 1upusa rack holding 2 bikes and the Yakima hanging style hitch rack I'd use when carrying 4. The Yakima held them higher than the 1upusa and created a larger MPG hit although there were 4 bikes vs. 2 bikes.

 

Swagman XC platform rack

2 Bike Carrier for 1-1/4" and 2" Trailer Hitches - Wheel Mount - Swagman XC Swagman Hitch Bike Racks,RV and Motorhome Bike Racks S64650

 

Curt receiver for me with a Yakima Hold-Up bike rack. Just got the Prius last week so I don't have long term usage stats but I used the Hold-up on my previous vehicle. It's one of the best racks I've used but it does come with a premium price. With it folded up, the rack does inhibit the backup camera but it did that on my tahoe too. I did notice that at 75+6mph with two bikes on the rack, the computer showed 32mpg.

 

Wow, that Yakima Hold Up bike rack retails for $419.

Yakima › Shop › Bike › Hitch › HoldUp (1 1/4" receivers only)

 

I have a curtis hitch rack installed on my Gen 3 with a thule dual rack system always attached and i often get 480 miles on 9.75 gallons of gas. Wait, whats the question again?

 

i like the saris axis aluminium hitch rack and will probably go with that since it can hold 3 bikes, lightweight and is made in madison wi. the tray racks are nicer but IMHO i want something thats lighter and the saris allows you to carry 3 bikes. the arm tilts down when youre not carrying a bike (the prii green cabs in madison all have these racks.) unfortunately cant post links for these since i'm newb to the forum and havent hit 5 posts yet.

 

I race and drive across the state (sometimes to other states) so for my bike rack I wanted something with no questions especially considering most of my bikes are North of $7k. Also I ride an XL 29er which doesn't fit into some of the racks out there.

I originally bought the Hold Up because of it's solidness and ease of use but also because I could put 4 bikes on it (i have the 2 bike add on - now it's really expensive ). I don't think I'll be using the 4 bike option on the prius. Just the 2 bike holder with 2 bikes sinks the backend of the car a little and you can definitely feel the bikes back there when it gets bumpy. It isn't a big deal but coming from a 4x4 Tahoe you can definitely feel the difference in the Prius when the bike rack is back there.

 

I know it's a bit late but here's my solution for a bike carrier.


Thule feet on my solar roof Prius showing the clearance. I guess extra care needs to be taken to ensure the load does not touch the glass when you install them






On my other Prius without solar panel

 

Wow...

 

Have you looked at Inno Racks? They make some nice stuff. Made in Japan too. My friend has the one that goes on the tow hook and its pretty slick. I'm thinking of buying one for myself, but I rarely bike these days.

 

I really appreciate the photos and discussion regarding the Roof Rack/Solar Package combo. What I haven't seen discussed is whether I'll be able to open my sunroof with the rack installed. Can someone please speak to this or post pictures to justify? Love my Prius but hate living in Hawaii with no ability to transport toys.

 

Check out the Saris Freedom. Only 21 lbs for a platform bike rack and I'm planning to get one of these soon.

 

My take is that I like my choice of the Thule Raceway Platform. At about 30-35 pounds, not bad. Save on the cost of hitch for those of us that are hitch "avoident"

 

Wondering if you ever got the Saris Freedom. It looks good but does it work well? Is it sturdy for 2 bikes?

 

I have not tried it. I got the Sportrack instead for $184 shipped with integrated locks for the rack and the bikes. This thread also needs to be merge with Show Us Your Rack! | PriusChat

 

Hi SmellyTofu,

Thank you for sharing.

For some reason I am unable to see the pictures. Did the roof rack work while opening the sunroof (glass)?

Thank you,

-Chris