Fitting two bikes upright in 3rd gen Prius Hatchback

How tall are your bikes?

 

Our family has 2 2007 Honda Fits in addition to our Prius. I just don't see 2 bikes going in a Prius that way. Maybe horizontally but that would not be pretty. A receiver hitch or a roof rack will be more appropriate.

John

 

For those that harp on about towbar mounts, does the police in your area worry about your bikes obstructing the view of the number plate and/or tail lights? It's quite strict down this way so having an auxilliary light board for the tail lights is a must. Obviously roof mount doesn't require it except a good head to remind yourself you have bikes up above. Wearing lycra helps me remember as it's not exactly an attire I choose to wear normally whilst driving.

 

There's no way I can fit any of my bikes vertically in my gen III hatch. I have a road bike, comfort bike, and beach cruiser. Now if u have a small bmx bike, then yes.

 

No way, I'd recommend that you get a proper tow hitch and bike rack. See below for a picture of my set-up.

 

That is a way cool setup. What rack is that?

Galaxy Nexus ? 2

 

It is a Raxter Thorax.


iPhone ?

 

Ya, i also recommend a hitch rack. It's so easy to load/unload the bikes and there are lots of options to choose from.
Mine (Yakima Holdup) is very small loaded up. I currently only have one bike carrier attached to it but it comes with two carriers.
Tilts out of the way of the hatch when bikes are mounted, comes with a cable lock to prevent theft, even has a bottle opener!

 

One bike, on its side front wheel off is about what you can expect to get into a Prius with the rear seat backs down. If you don't like your bikes, you can stack them on top of each other on their sides. If you like your bikes a little, you can put something between them to keep the scratches and rattles down a bit.

If you like your bikes a lot, a proper rack system, or getting a custom roof job (I'm sure you've seen vans with the taller fiberglass roofs added for increased head room) will be the ticket. There are some light duty trailers that can be adapted to carry bicycles... if you want to keep them out of the weather during transport.

An old used short wheel base Caravan, a Honda Element or first gen Saturn Vue are other good alternatives for properly lugging bicycles around standing up inside a vehicle. There are others. Even Ford's new upcoming C-Max Hybrid or Energi might make dandy and efficient bicycle transport.

So many ways... but I do prefer hitch racks... like my Thule Helium.

 

Dennis, that's a nice bike rack.

I tried putting my bike in the back of my Prius (on its side, no way it would fit upright), but crimped the front brake casing. I have a Yakima rack and hitch and it works well.

 

Other option is at an angle. I store my 1 bike with seatpost like this. I'm sure you can angle 2 bikes if you get creative.

 

My preferred method for 2 bikes.

 

You guys with new cars and a trailer hitch....you sure you aren't voiding the warranty by installing a hitch? A dealership might see it and assume you are towing stuff which I believe would void the warranty.

 

I don't have pics of my rig, but here's the set up I have. Allen 3-bike hitch rack. Wanted a hitch rack so I can load more than 2 bikes conveniently. Cost about $70-80 when I bought it last year. Combined with the Curt 1.25" hitch (that was super easy to install), it cost me $200. I know some don't wanna pay for it, but I got real tired of wrestling just to get my bike in the car.

 

No I just traded in my two with the hitch still bolted on. No warranties void. However if its welded on that may be a different story.

 

oh jeez.. read up on Magnuson-Moss.

 

BTW, the hitch bolts up to the tow rings not welded.