Bike rack pics

I really don't trust those receiver style racks. I've seen several other senior members with cracked and/or bent supports. Putting the bikes on top of the car works well.

There are four MT Bikes on the roof:


There was enough room to get one more up there too! Mileage with four bikes on top, four occupants, and hilly drives was about 32 MPG round trip (30 miles).

 

Do you have any more pictures of your Thule set up oly_57mpg, I am curious because I am getting a permanent one soon. Is that the 44 in fairing?

Also, here are some pictures of a trunk mount bike rack that I use, the Saris Bones 3. I love it, and allows me to still have room for a kayak on top if we want to bring both. Sport Utility Prius!

 

The fairing is 34 inches. It matches the specs. per Thule's size charts in distributor stores. I noticed a 3 MPG decrease, across three tanks of gas, without the fairing. The fairing reduced a lot of wind noise and makes it look sporty. The Thule website doesn't seem to mention what size it is other than "medium." It'd say that it's worth the money.

The 34" looks small but it seems to work. I didn't want to try the 44" and have it stick out of the sides or interfere with the rack.

You know, I never considered the back hatch rack. Then again, I got all the components of this rack except the locks and the fairing for little money. It's amazing what you can find at garage sales!

Next time I have the rack on, I'll take some more pictures of the configuration. I only put the rack on when I need it as it takes 15 min. to install/deinstall and the help of one person to lift it into place. The only real issue with it is that the "fit-kit" is for some other car but it works with the door frames of the Prius. You just have to mount the cross bars fairly close.

Nice fixie. It'd fit in perfectly in Portland!

 

Curt hitch:





... Brad

 

BAC:
Oy! That looks good! Not to mention that you could tow something if needed!
What's the effect on mileage with the receiver style?

 

ThanX Oly!

I've had no real change in fuel economy with the bike and rack attached. I'm sure I'm taking a slight hit, but my mileage really hasn't changed. Of course, I only have the rack on when I'm hauling my bike. That's what I really like about a hitch mounted system. The entire thing can be taken off in just a few minutes. The rack (it folds up) can also easily fit in the back of the car.

... Brad

 

I think you mean 38 inch, that's the medium size. I asked because I am buying my rack from Rackoutfitters.com, and on the site there was this photo and comment. I agree that the fairing looks good, and is definitely worth the money for the purpose. I think with the rack and the hood deflector, etc. my car will be in the SUV class.



"Here's Toyota Prius with a Thule 400XT - Aero Foot base rack, a Thule 872XT Faring, and Rocky Mounts Lariat SL fork mount bike racks. Important note here, the Thule fit guide recommends the 871XT Faring which we found to be too short. The wider 872XT is a much better match with the width of the Toyota Prius. As far as the rest of the fit, the Thule Fit Kit for the Prius is excellent, it's spot on as far as matching the door frame and the roof shape. A two bike roof rack can get pretty expensive, but choosing the Rocky Mount bring down the price compared to Thule Peloton bike mounts by $50 each. Keep in mind that you will have two keys for the system, a set of Rocky Mount keys and a set of Thule keys. It's not too big of a deal though because you can just put a Thule key in your glove box and put the Rocky Mount key on your key chain because it's the one you'll be using each time you transport your bike. You only need the Thule key when you go to take the whole rack off."

 

McDonald:
I'll have to measure mine when I get home, but just looking at the picture I can see that yours looks wider. The fairing on mine, not that it matters in the least, doesn't reach the support. IRL it's about 2" from the support. I'll have to take some pictures soon! haha.

 

That's not my car (mine is black though, but not a touring and never dirty!), just a person's car who was reviewing racks on a website and posted that picture.

But yes, photos when you can! (No pressure or anything!)

I think the fit of the fairing will be different on my rack because I am actually permanently installing tracks instead of using the racks that fit onto the door frame. I'm just trying to eyeball it before I buy!

 

I've been considering both hitch- and roof-mount systems but haven't made up my mind... McDonald, if there's a Boston-area meetup soon (there's lukewarm interest in a near-future meet, check the New England forum) and you have your rack installed by then, I'd love to check it out.

 

Definitely will, hope to have it within the next month. I made a thread about it in the Prius Modifications folder, because a lot of people are showing interest in permanent roof racks, but there are no set guidelines from Thule or Yakima.

And it depends on what you are carrying. There is only so much you can do with a hitch rack (either bikes or a small box), whereas with a roof rack you have the option to haul boats, a bigger cargo box, bikes, skis, etc. Also, like others have said . . some people have found that there is some bending on the frame or the hitch itself (can't remember which). Also, it is easier to see behind you with stuff on top of your car rather than with stuff directly behind your car. That being said (and I have no experience with bikes on top of cars), but just looking at cars with bikes on top makes me nervous. Just doesn't seem to be too steady.

 

OK! No pictures, not that a clip-on rack is all that interesting compared to the permanent ones, but I measured the fairing this morning... 38"

McDonald you are correct!

It does certainly look small though... If there is a slightly larger one, it might be better.

 

Also, on the topic of permanent racks, darelldd has some pics of his roof rack install with notes about various things he tried at evnut.com. Worth a look.

 

Yep, saw that. But he also says he'd rather have gone with tracks than the landing pads that he has. I can get Thule stuff more easily than Yakima stuff, anyhow!

 

I am curious, don't those roof mount racks scratch the roof paint. Seems like when you take the mount off you would have scratches.