Two quick bike rack/rear hitch questions

I'm still waiting for my Prius, but have already ordered the hitch receiver. On the hitch bike rack I've used, it takes less than a minute to install or remove the rack. You just place the end of the rack into the receiver and position it so the threaded hole on the rack lines up with the hole on the receiver. You then take the captive bolt and screwed it in with a final tightening with a wrench. Atleast 10x faster than installing a roof rack with bike holders. Never used a Saris Bones so can't comment on it's speed.

 

I installed a Coastal 2" receiver hitch last weekend, and bought a Thule 4-bike rack this week, though I haven't assembled it yet. It appears to be a 60-second operation involving one bolt. I think I'll buy a wrench to keep with the car for that purpose.

 

I mounted a Thule Hitching Post Pro 4-bike rack (934XT) to a Coastal 2" receiver hitch. So far, so good!


Easy to install (one bolt plus the bolt lock). It doesn't rock much, in fact it rocks the car, rather than bends, if I put my weight on it. A bungee cord (or the strap included) should control bike sway.

I can open the rear hatch without pivoting the rack down by nudging the handlebars for the neariest bike just an inch. At first I thought it was hanging them out far from the car, but now I see why-- for that hatch clearance.

 

Interesting, I was just thinking about getting the 2" coastal hitch and was debating between the different thule hitch racks. I was thinking of getting the fancy "trailblazer" one which can swing away with the bikes on. But if you can open a prius hatch with the hitching post pro, maybe the swing-away is a waste of $.

KTPhil, can you get stuff in/out of the trunk with bikes on? I mean, say you had a suitcase or two in there, is there enough room to get it in or out?

 

I've been using the Saris Bones rack (2 bike, $99). You have to set it or properly or else you might suffer what happened to me (while driving on the highway at 60ish mph some of the straps loosened and the whole bike rack with bike tipped over on to the right side of the Prius... luckily I was able to pull over before there was a chance for the last strap to come lose). As for taking the rack on and off of the car... it's fairly quick... only about 3 minutes. You can't open the trunk with the rack on. Driving at 55-60 mph I can't really tell if the mileage drops. I'd estimate that it's probably about a 1 mpg drop.

 

Yes, you can get stuff in and out. If a very long or heavy item was tough to get out, you just pull a pin at the bottom and the rack pivots down and rearward.

 

Don't forget a flag on the rearward bike-- this hangs back far enough that is probably a legal requirement. I will have to check if bikes block the brake lights, too.

 

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looks great! I installed Coastal's 2" hitch this weekend, and think I'm going to buy the 934xt as well. didja get a great price somewhere? Best I've found so far is $179 with free s/h on the net.

rob

 

Is there any difference in weight between the 1.25" and 2" Coastal receiver hitches? Would a 1.25" receiver be 'weaker'? Thanks!

 

I paid $199 at REI. They are always competitive, but not always the best price. They stand behind their sales, and rebate savings back if you have their card. Convenience and impatience won out over price!

I believe the 2" would be stronger, especially against see-sawing side to side. I am also considering a flat-bottomed shelf rack to go into the receiver (for long trips, a cooler or other gear), and the 2" strength would be needed for that.