Good Bike Rack for Prius C

Curt Receiver Hitch, Swagman 2 bike carrier. 10k + miles hauling about 100# of bikes and carrier, no change in fuel economy.

 

Roof racks will take away mpg and give you wind noise at highway speeds.

Attached rear deck racks limit the access to hatch area and usually marks the car in places.

Rear hitch/receiver racks are the best. They don't touch the car, you don't have to lift the bike up to the roof, are out of the wind and those that tilt (which is most of them) let you open the hatch, even with bike mounted. Thule Helium (for example) is aluminum, fairly tough and quite light. That's a plus for a Prius. The negatives are the cost factor.

 

I will be going with a roof rack myself... I can not stand the look of hitch or stap mounts. only prob is my orange prius and my bright lame fixie clashes big time.

 

I've had both, roof and hitch racks. Hitch is far more convenient, efficient and secure. On hitch, you can still access the trunk easily, very little or no loss of MPG and remove it with 1 bolt. Roof racks are noisy, scuff up the roof and you better remember it's up there wheneve you pull into a garage. I've heard and had accident myself driving it into the garage!

 

The problem I found with racks like the Helium is the swaying that leads to the bike getting loose. The models where they secure the front wheel are awesome. Touchless and secure!

 

well my garage door alone is 19' tall so i am good . i want one with a fork holder so i can leave both wheels on and be secure.

 

That's great but what if you had to go into a parking structure?

On the roof, one of the most secure racks is the fork mount. The up right verison on the roof is exactly like the hitch mount ones. It clamps on front wheel.

NTL, good luck and enjoy whichever way you choose. Happy trails.

 

I live in Indiana... used a parking garage once here. Would never park my car anywhere with bike on it anyhoo... skeered somebody would steel my bike. odds are though my bike is to ugly to want.

 

Do touchable pictures?

 

I use a swagman xtc-2 that attaches to my hitch, along with a threaded hitch pin. It's a fantastic bike rack!
Swagman XTC 2-Bike XC Dual Receiver Hitch Rack - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

I like it for these main three reasons:
- Bikes don't move around at all in the rack. Just the rack bounces a bit with the threaded pin.
- Where the rack angles up after leaving the hitch receiver is great for turning in steep driveways, and gets the bike tires away from the exhaust.
- Arms and center post fold away so I can access the hatch once the bikes are unloaded, or fold everything up when I'm not transporting bikes.

The only real con I can thing of is that when you have bikes in it, depending on the size of the bike and so on can partially block brake lights / turning indicators. I haven't had an issue in traffic yet so I guess people can still see my intentions.

 

Perfect timing for your inquiry ! I just got home this morning from a 3k trip with our "C-3", and cruisers. We have travelled thousands of miles with our bikes on the back of our "C". The hitch is a Curt, the rack is a Swagman, no complaints. Mileage does not decrease, and the bikes are heavy (approx. 50 lbs each, and the rack itself is not light. I weighed it all out, when I first got it, and as I recall I was right at the limit for hitch (Curt) capacity. This is still my choice after years and many miles.

 

I put on the Curtis hitch as well. I have the performance bikes house brand bike rack. It works well.
RM-927_nam_vzw_100 ?

 

Off-topic: I don't know what it is about it but I think this picture looks amazing! Maybe it has something to do with seeing a Prius C roughing it.

 

Never had a problem with the hitch mounted Thule Helium rack. Traveled lots of miles with bikes on it. No movement or issues if the bikes are fastened properly.

The rack arms fold down when not in use, too. It's light and it's out of the way. Plus it comes off the hitch really easily for storage with the twist of a key locked knob.

Here's the Helium mounted to my son's old Vibe a while back...

 

I personally do not do bike racks but my son does. From what I have seen any rack you attach to the back of your vehicle will eventually result in scuffed up paint. The rack on a trailer hitch on the other hand has nothing touching the paint. I just installed a Curt hitch on my C. It was very easy to install and looks great. The hitch came from JC Whitney for under $120.00 with free shipping.