We just upgraded to a Prius v from our 2005 Prius hoping to carry 2 road bikes inside. Has anyone in this forum found a good way to carry 2 bikes inside? A review I saw showed a mtn bike standing upright inside a Prius v and that would be our preferred method rather than laying them on top of each other but wondered if we had to remove the cargo cover (exposing the spare tire) to do so. When I laid the back seats down and pushed them forward, I noticed a lot of room. Has anyone found a good plastic container that would fit in the space behind the seats? Thanks!
I would put a receiver hitch on the Prius v and then get a bike rack to fit. No taking the bikes apart and quick access.
I bought two generic cargo mats, the second one goes in backwards over the seats, then the first one overlaps it in the far back. Nothing falls into the abyss.
hmmm... Are you removing the wheels ? They might fit neatly in the space behind the front seats and then you put the frames behind the wheels ?
I'm interested in the answer as well. I've been coveting the v since before it came out, and one of the things I don't like is that the seat backs don't provide a flat surface when folded. I think this is a serious design flaw. I haven't decided whether I like that they're plastic. On the one hand, they SHOULD be easier to clean, although some scuff marks just don't come off on plastic, and it can scrape up easier. It seems whatever surface is good enough for the cargo floor should be good enough for the seat backs - and they should lay flat to become a true extension of the cargo area with no cracks for losing stuff. I use a cargo tray on my Forester, so I would on the v as well, but it only covers the main cargo area....
The design of the floor pan and deck do not allow seats that lay completely flat like the hatchback. It wasn't really a design choice, more of a necessity. The alternative would be seats with so little contour and padding that they would be pretty uncomfortable. They do slide forward and back, making it a somewhat adjustable configuration. That feature also necessitates the gap behind them. Perhaps Toyota will take a different approach in the gen-2 model, but at present its not going to change, and frankly it would require eliminating some of the features that are popular in the v.
Thanks for the feedback. I found if I take the front wheel off, I can fit my bike upright in the back of the Prius v but I have a very small bike and we could not do this with my husband's bike. (I am 5' and he is 6'). So we'll probably end up laying the bikes on top of each other with some kind of barrier so the spokes are protected. I also found a 20 qt plastic container fit perfectly in the seat behind the passenger on the driver side.
I have a 1960's era rug I put into the car with the seatbacks down to transport all the rough stuff that might mar or shed. Great for Xmas trees.
I am just curious, but why not do the hitch rack route? I did the Ecohitch Stealth, installed it in a couple of hours and bought a Thule Helium Aero for it. (2" hitch and rack) Easy Peasy. Nice thing about the Aero is that it has an integrated lock/quick release for the receiver tongue which means you don't need any tools to take off or put it on. And it weighs next to nothing.
For those who suggest we just get a rack: We prefer to keep our bikes inside the car because we get rained on during travel to our destination in winter. We are ultra-cyclists so we will travel hundreds of miles to do brevets and double centuries. We use to use a minivan for our bike travel but that was a bit too much car and downsized.
If I drop the seat and quick release both wheels it fits okay, I recommend chain ring down. The crap that transfers from the chainring to the headliner is apparently made out of indelible sharpy marker.
Makes sense to me. I'm doing my first century in a week, and the weather forecast (admittedly a week out it may be wrong) calls for rain. I might be wishing the bike made the trip on the inside if it is raining on the way there.
I occassionally travel with my 29er mountain bike and my road bike. Both are size extra large and easily fit lying down in my v. I have an old moving blanket that I put between them to keep both safe. There's still enough room to tuck all the other essentials in. I much prefer keeping them in the car than on rack outside when going on a road trip to a ride.
