Would like to find a recommended hitch that does not require cutting away any portion of the rear bumper area. The use of bolts only is preferred. Is the Thule Euro Click fietsendrager available in this country? Saw a demonstration on UTube and looks great. But, it does require a hitch. Because of my age I would like the rear hitch mount so I can open the rear door without removing the bikes. I'm really confused as to where to begin. Perhaps some of you have experience with bike rack hitchs on the 2011 Prius. Thank you. Ron
Run a search and you will find lots of info. Most of us buy a Curt Class 1 hitch with a 1 1/4" receiver. I have a Thule rack does does not require you to move the bikes in order to open the trunk. But it's heavy. Search Saris, or Kuat as well.
+1 on the Curt. Don't have one, but nothing but good reviews on them. Bolt on features so you can mount em on yourself without any bumper modifications. I really need to get one soon. Tired of folding my rear seats down and carefully loading/unloading my bike.
I got my hitch from etrailer.com. Search for your model and year and they'll tell you what fits. The hitch works perfectly for our Yakima rack. We didn't have to modify the bumper at all.
Hey Ron, I googled that Thule bike rack and like it as well. It appears that model is available in Europe, but not sold by dealers here in the USA. You might try going to the Thule website and contacting a dealer in the UK or Ireland (only one in Dublin) and see if they'll ship you one of them. I like the integrated lights on those; very nice. As to hitches, I haven't put one on yet and will do so in the next month or so. I like the Hidden Hitch so I may go with that one. I've had several vehicles with the Draw-Tite hitch and they are very well made. No experience with the Curt hitch, but others here seem to think highly of it.
I got a Hidden Hitch (part# 60263) from etrailer.com. Had it installed by a local RV place. No complaints so far. It bolts on without modifications. The rack (also from etrailer) is a Thule Helium Aluminum 3. Light enough to carry in one hand. Holds 3 bikes. Folds down when not in use. Also it can fold back away from the car but there's enough clearance to open the rear hatch without moving it. So you can access the trunk without removing bikes. It also has a built in cable bike lock and locking hitch knob. When it's locked it slips so it can't be loosened. I recommend this hitch and rack. I haven't tested it with more than one bike, but the hitch is rated up to 200 lbs weight. That allows for up to three 35 lb bikes plus the 25 lb rack with plenty to spare. The rack is rated at 35 lb per bike max.
