Show Us Your Rack!

hitch and kuat...with my dream bike: Yeti SB66 Carbon

 

Thule:

Traverse Rapid Release 480R
Aeroblades 53'
Fitkit 1566
594XT Sidearm
Locks

 

Thule Rear Mount Connector and Thule Xpress 970 bike rack.

 

Yakima Highlite. Only 19lbs.




iPhone ?

 

But then one's bike is dangling from it's top tube. Ew.

 

I installed custom tracks.

 

Hi IndyV,
Ever had any issues with your Kuat Sherpa? I am buying one tomorrow and just saw your post with the picture. I have a road bike and a mountain bike.
Thanks,
Nat

 

Allen,

I have a 2012 Prius V and purchased the Yakima bare roof rack with the Q99 and Q131 tower clips. The back rack and clips fit the car perfectly but the front ones I just cannot get secure. The fit to the car is not as good as on the back and if I pull on the front clips they snap off. I even went to REI to have them do the install thinking I was doing something wrong but they were also unsuccessful. I wanted to ask you if you had any issues. This would be a good indication for me whether maybe just the clips I have are defective.

 

Tud300,
Funny you say that. I have a regular 2010 Prius and my back clips(Q5) fit great, but I've noticed the front clips(Q99) don't grip the door frame that well. I just put them on last night and was thinking today I should try to readjust them...I didn't get to it. I do remember reading on the Yakima website- "Caution! Proper tower balance and tower placement is critical for this installation. Be sure that racks remain centered on the vehicle throughout installation. Pay close attention to the gold slider positions and increase adjustment post in 1/2 to 1/4 turn increments; as necessary. Alternate between towers until the gold sliders are at equal levels in relation to the hash marks on the towers and the cam covers close with firm and equal resistance." that you should pay particular attention to the gold part of the clip(I think thats the upper part of the clip) to make sure that part is even with the other side. I think the reason the back clips fit so well is because the rubber pads fit the contour of the door frame at a more even grip. The Front pads, at least on my car kinda lay diagonally across the corner of the design of the top part of the car. Also for my Prius, Yakima recommends I use the 55in bars, but I didn't want anything hanging over the door so I used 48in instead. I thought that might be my issue but maybe not. I've carried a bike on my rack for about 5 miles today and it seemed to do ok. Anyway I just wanted to let you know you weren't totally alone on this problem. I can't post links yet so just go to the yakima site and find the installation section. (put in your car info ex: Toyota Prius v 5dr 2015 then scroll down to the "Notes" section and read under 55)

I know it's been 2 years since you answered that question, but do you by chance know what Q clips you used in the front? and are the front bars pretty snug fitting?

 

If any fellow Prius owners who live in the OC area want to ride, shoot me a pm. Always looking for more people to ride with! Plus we can do a mini Prius meet too haha

 

Love your roof spoiler. Where did you get that from?

 

$175 total investment for the setup ($125 hitch on Amazon, $50 for the basket locally). Makes for some awesome camping.

It inspired my friend to buy the same setup for his FJ Cruiser. I took the Prius with about 1100 lbs of cargo and people on a 700+ miles round trip through the hills of california up to Yosemite. MPG measured at the pump 43.5. We did the same heading up to the Grand Canyon and back with similar results. So that is two trips fully loaded with people and gear with similar MPG rating. Roof racks will drop your MPG, but the cargo basket seems to minimize creating additional wind resistance.

 

what kind of rims are yours? I've been looking everywhere for a set like that

 

Does anyone notice significant shifting towards rear on hitch mounted racks? I have a Yakima hitch mounted rack and on a longer trip noticed the top tube had been blown out of the cradle but still held by the strap tight on edge and the front of bike had blown as far to the rear as it can go. This was after significant drive (all those mpgs) and I saw it look different in mirror. I've used Yakima since '92 and exceptionally trusting and simultaneously super anal ---so the strap was as tight as it would go. Have a specialized rubaix comp that is treated well. Fix was to use the 2nd bike holder while taking outermost, spreading he cradle out and using it as a stopper. Has worked...as long I have less than 4 bikes. My guess is the prius shape and the way it channels air for efficiency. Worst case may use some of my Velcro straps.....and definitely stop more often when bike is on.

 

Does this rack bar accept Thule carriers? I have 2 Big Mouth mounts from my last car that went on Yakima cross rails.

 

Wouldn't your goals be happier in a trailer?

 

Hey Rob,
No, my goats (is that what you mean) would be happiest in the pasture with a lot of grass, but for traveling, yes, they would rather be in a trailer than hanging off a rack. That being said, it does make sense to go with a hitch mount for my bikes so that I can do both with the same hitch. Trouble is, I'm trying to minimize costs by being able to use the Thule Big Mouth carriers I used on my roof rails, if possible.
The Inno Hitch Mount Base
INH100 INH100 / inno (RV-Inno) / ADVANCED CAR RACKS,
was suggested to me by an online seller, but I wasn't sure about attaching to round tubes or the brand.

Anyone have any suggestions? There is so much out there it is too confusing.

 

What brand hitch is this? What class? Looks like 2", is it?

 

Hey J,
Is that bike carrier a one piece deal or is the platform separate and the trays attach to it? I have 2 Thule Big Mouth trays that worked great on my roof rack (previous car) but I want to switch to a hitch mount. Haven't been able to find a hitch base with 2 Parallel bars to attach the trays to except for the Inno and I don't think the round tubes will work for my mounts. Do you have a link to your set up?
Thanks,