Bike Rack

I have a Saris Bones rack for 3 bikes. Got it for my previous car, an '07 Corolla S. Fit great on the Corolla with its spoiler. The fit on the Prius is not awesome. Thinking about selling the Bones rack and getting a hitch or roof rack.

Pic of the Saris Bones:

 

I adjusted mine so the lower legs to rest on the bumper, rather than push on the hatch door. Try that instead. It fits better that way.

 

Haha. Actually did that on the way home. Didn't care for that fit either. The straps rubbed the spoiler too much and the hard plastic from the bottom legs were pressed up against the hatch. Guess it'll work for short trips but think I'll still change to something else. Plus I want to upgrade to a 4 bike carrier anyway.

 

Actually, the hard plastic won't press. To have them further out (no contact at all), you have to adjust both the upper & lower legs... basically remove everything and reassemble from scratch. It's time-consuming, but the flexibility is why so many people like the Saris racks.

The straps do barely touch, but I always have leftover pipe-isolation from grille-blocking each year. Placing a strip under each works fantastic for long trips. I've done many +200 mile drives with bikes on back that way, without any problem or rubbing.

It's a nice affordable option. To carry more bike and/or be totally contact free, the only choice is a hitch-rack. I did that for many, many years with my Taurus and my Classic Prius.

 

No marks on my car. The rubber feet are really nice. Though, make sure they and the car itself are clean first.

Also, it's nice knowing how stable the rack is with a load too, even in the rain.

 

Hitch mount racks don't touch the car at all. Cost though is much higher overall than trunk mounted racks.

here's a few photos.

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Go for a hitch mounted bike carrier...There are a lot of good ones out there like Curt.

 

I bought mine a whole decade ago, back when I upgraded from a Classic to an Iconic model Prius. And still to this day, I'm using that same rack.

We routinely take trips from south of the cities in Minnesota to the northern vacation lakes area, with 2 bikes on back and 1 large 3-wheel recumbant inside. We've had 3 bikes on back sometimes too. It has always worked out really well.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a good deal either in-store (now's a good time for sales) or online.

 

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Here's a pic with rack installed and in upright, bumper protect mode.

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Yakima Hold Up