The best way/rack to carry bicycle outside 2018 Prius?

It's a great question. I'd guess that a hitch-rack would be the best for aero, and for protecting the bike(s) from 85-MPH grime, bugs, and etc. The receiver, itself, is about $220 (from what I've heard) to have installed, but that will also act as a hitch connection for a light-duty trailer should you or I ever need it.

A hitch is also really clean look, and relatively aerodynamically clean, when not using it. Not a bicycle, but...



That said, I still think I'm going for a roof rack for my bicycles. Why? Not totally sure about my thinking here, but for local use - this area's drivers tail-gate too much for me to be comfortable to have my bikes back there. Also prevents me from backing a bike into anything. So... what I imagine I am going for will be both a roof rack and a hitch.

 

Rooftop is safer for the bike, if it’s that kind of bike.

Hitch mount is much easier to load/unload, much quieter on the highway and leaves a much smaller mark on your MPG. 1up USA makes the very best hitch racks.

 

Check out etrailer.com as well.

 

OEM Toyota roof rack should be coming in today or tomorrow.

Kuat Trio Rack is what I'm going with. I like the clean lines, and think I'm OK with having to take the front wheel off every time ... at least, I think I think I'm OK with it.

 

The trailer hitch bike rack is probably your best option since it will not contact the paint surface and is probably a more aerodynamic configuration. The next best option would be to use a top rack, followed by the hatchback option. The hatchback mount is the least desirable since straps and hooks are known to damage the paint surface over time, but it may be possible to alter the hatchback bike rack in such a way to prevent this.

I am currently in the processes of outfitting my Prius for camping. I just got a Class 1 trailer hitch installed, but I need to use this for a rear storage carrier. I looked at carrier-bike rack combos, but found none suitable for use on a Prius. My roof rack will be used for another carrier. So now I am back to using my old hatchback bike rack - hoping that I will be able to find a way to keep the straps from damaging the paint surface.

 

. You can also get a bicycle box from the bicycle store and ship your bicycle. If you want one of those fancy protective bicycle cases some bicycle shops will lend you one for free or very cheap....

 

After getting a rear mount rack on a hitch, I'm no longer certain that it is more aerodynamic than a roof mount, at least on a Prius. My Gen3 Liftback's slipstream is quite small, and the bikes extend well behind it, both horizontally and vertically. So the reality is that much of the bike is getting broadsided with full force wind. I'm no longer confident that this is any more aerodynamic than having the whole bike head-on to the wind on a roof rack.

With the same setup on my Subaru Forester, the situation is more clear. The blocky and less aerodynamic Forester has a much larger wind shadow behind, so the rear mount is more efficient there.

But the ease of loading and unloading is the determining factor. The Prius is taller than every previous car I've ever had -- even taller than my first Subaru, which was quite tall for cars of its era -- but I'm getting older and less flexible. A Prius roof rack is getting difficult for me, and simply impossible for my spouse to use.

 

You could be right - esp since the rear mount is broadside, as you say. I wonder if anyone has designed a shell/shroud for a rear or top mount bikes.

 

I'm thinking of putting a trailer hitch for a bike rack on my 2019 Limited. How do the sensors on the rear bumper behave when there's a bike rack on a trailer hitch back there?

 

They go crazy. They will force the car to brake in reverse. You will have to turn them off while the bike rack is in place.

 

…at the risk of repeating myself (…see threads passim! ) , my bikes all travel inside (…OK, I need to remove the wheels, but everything is quick-release), and any noisy passengers (…and the MiL) are strapped to the roof-rack! (…or they walk!)

 

@Mark Rehorst , I see you have a singularly curious avatar! PhotoShop or are you a Professional LockPick?

 

... or maybe just a math geek into fractals?

 

I have a trailer hitch from UHaul and a Thule Helium Pro 2 bike carrier--super light, lockable to the hitch and has an integrated locking cable for the bikes. Used it to move 1,200 miles and for local rides.

 

Well, installing my first bike-mount roof rack got more complicated as it became my first vinyl-wrap job as well. Did the vinyl wrap job in the living room since I had AC in there, and out in the sun the 'felt like' heat rating was 105 degrees.

Didn't finish the top-holes beyond making slits and pushing them down as that isn't an area most will see. Other considerations were that the rear plastic cap has security bolts holding it on, so I could not entirely remove the sliding rear wheel lock - hence, two-pieces of wrap with a meet-line were needed. Screwed up / cut one little area that I really don't know what happened on - didn't even use a knife there.



From a distance, it's fine enough:



Initial concern this morning was that it may be interfering with the antenna's FM radio reception. I may try moving it closer to the left-edge if what I experienced this morning continues. But that radio station commonly gets distorted with cross-over, so I don't know what was the true cause of a little crackly FM reception on that one channel for the few minutes I drove it.

 

Looks great.

 

How do you turn off the rear sensors?

 

photoshop... that's just a small part of it. I can't post a link yet, but if you do a search for "fractal hand", it will come up at or near the top of the images list.

 

Instructions for disabling Intelligent Clearance Sonar:
Backup safety features and bike rack | PriusChat