Our other "car" is a gas sucking SUV. The Prius just won't handle luggage and bicycles on a family vacation. Anyway, we need a 2" hitch mounted bicycle carrier. We try to purchase items of quality. I understand these bike mounts aren't cheap. Could someone recommend a make and model that can handle 3 bikes. Please be specific because I will most likely investigate your recommendation and purchase the item. Thanks :wave:
Ha! That's funny! When my alarm goes off I feel like I need a 3-wheeler. The bikes are not expensive. My 7 year old has a, well, bike you would get for a 7 year old. My bike was just given to me by my father. It is a Shogun and is about 12-15 years old. I took it to my local bike shop where the mechanic called it a "fun relic". My wife doesn't have a bike...yet. We will probably get her a cruiser. At this point it's all about riding with our kid. If we develop an interest in the sport we will invest in better equipment. The SUV, on the other hand, is a 2003 Acura MDX. It is loaded and we have taken very good care of it. We don't want to change that now by scratching the body with a poorly designed bike mount. Believe me, if I could disassemble these bikes, stuff them in garbage bags and load them in the back with the luggage, I would do it. We have become that family in Chevy Chases movie "Family Vacation"!
While at your LBS, see what they would recommend. Most LBS have carriers that have worked for their customers.
I have a Thule 4 bike carrier for a 2" hitch, which can be swung away from the rear without having to dismount any bikes. This one: Thule Revolver 4-Bike Rear Hitch Rack from REI.com Works really good to access your stowed stuff in the trunk during the trip when your bikes are all mounted.
Sure it will. Gather everything you need for your holiday, leave about half of it home, (you may need to repeat that step), load it up on the bikes, and wave bye to the Prius as you ride off. Works for me.
the cheapest 4 bikecarrier from Performance Bike (their inhouse brand). I use the Curt 2" hitch. This picture is from a 3000 mile trip where I carried between 2 and 4 bikes the entire time, one of which was the length of a tandem (Surly Big Dummy w/extracycle). I've had around $6k worth of bike on the rack for lots of miles w/o any issues.
Confused. Are you asking about a rack for the Prius or for the SUV? As a point of reference, I carry our family of four, food for 16 people for three days, my kayak, and three bikes with my Prius.
Draftmaster is a nice hitch-mount setup for a number of bike transporting needs. However, plan on paying a minimum of $600, not including a hitch receiver. . .
<< (photo) Thule roof rack routinely carries 2 bikes (only 1 shown) and kayak . Without kayak, it could surely take 3, maybe 4 bikes. Check thuleracks.com One purchases the various components separately, then, setting it all up is a little tricky.... but it ain't rocket science! Once in place, it's solid & convenient, and doesn't make a sound at highway speed. I'm giving it 5 stars!
