I have just bought a Prius and want advice on best bike rack that will take 3 or 4 bikes. Things I want to know, roof rack vs rear mounted; hitch vs car mounted; best brands. I know about the trailer hitch from Coastal Electronics Technologies for $150 (pricy) and then a rack from (?). Thanks forr help! (can't see how to spell check so forgive my terrible spelling.)

You might want to search on http://www.priusonline.com .
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Neil
Classic Prius ('02)
Coastal e-Tech receiver
Thule 998 rack....

I don't see why the decision would be any different to any other sedan/hatch on the market.

A decent roof rack system will cost you $3-400 for 2 bikes, and add another $80-100 or so per bike. If you get a new car, car specific mounting kits are under $50. You can fit four bikes on a standard width rack system (2 forward facing, 2 rear facing). Thule & Yakima are the big two, with Saris also in the running. Check out Rocky Mounts for another cheap (and colorful) option. I use a Thule system with fork mount racks on our car ('01 Nissan Altima) and have been very happy with it. Very solid mounting, and no chance of the bikes touching each other. Minor fuel consumption hit - we're talking about 2mpg on our car. Major disadvantages - bug splatter if you travel at night (but you can buy 'bike bras' to stop this), and you have to remember not to drive into the garage before you take the bikes off!!! Moving the remote to the trunk is a good way to avoid this...

Hitch mount racks are good too, and it's kind of a personal preference thing. I used to use one, but prefer the racks these days. Cost including the hitch is about the same as the rack system, but if you plan to change cars frequently you'll of course need to put a hitch on the next car. The bikes sit closer together than on the roof so there's more chance of them touching each other. Some of the cheaper ones I've seen have dubious mounting mechanisms that allow the bikes to swing about a bit so might get scratched by the mount, but buy a quality rack from Thule, Yakima or Saris and I'm sure it'll be fine. Major disadvantages - the bikes get quite dirty, and are out there to get damaged if you get rear ended or back into anything.

Trunk mount racks are ok for a bike or two, but not nearly as stable or secure as the other two options. Some may cause paint damage to the car. I'd only be happy using one of these as an occasional around town solution (which I might end up doing if I buy the convertible I've been thinking about... :D).

I'm currently having the same kind of problem. I am debating on whether to go with a hitch mounted rack or roof rack. I have a 2000 Toyota Sienna. I used to use a trunk mounted rack with straps on my 91 golf but it scratched up the paint and I do not want to put it on my new van.

If I go with a hitch mounted rack I want one that supports the wheels as opposed to hanging the bike from the top tube. The problem this creates is that one of the wheels would be exposed to the tail pipe of the van. That tends to destroy tires pretty quick. The reason I do not want the bike hanging from the top tube is that it is a carbon fiber bike and I am concerned that the top tube supporting the weight of the bike would somehow stress the carbon fiber material.

The other option, a Thule rood rack, would be a very viable option but then I cannot put my cargo box on top of the van.

i'd say that the trunk mount (strapped on) ones are only for junky cars that you dont mind getting scratched up.
When i get my new car i was planning on getting the hitch mount...but i never thought about the whole rear ending smashing the bikes. When i get it i'll consider the roof and the hitch i guess.

The reason I do not want the bike hanging from the top tube is that it is a carbon fiber bike and I am concerned that the top tube supporting the weight of the bike would somehow stress the carbon fiber material.

The other option, a Thule rood rack, would be a very viable option but then I cannot put my cargo box on top of the van.

You shouldn't worry about supporting the bike from the top tube, especially since you don't store the bike on the trunk rack (even if you did, I think it would take a *long* time to overly stress the carbon just by the bike sitting there).

The other thing to consider is how tall your roof is and how difficult it would be to pick your bike up to put it there. If you are of reasonable height (relative to your roofline) and the bike(s) doesn't/don't weigh a ton, then a roof rack would work. The space issue for your cargo box is another issue...

but then I cannot put my cargo box on top of the van.
Depending on the width of the cargo box, you can still get a rack or two up there with it especially if you use a slightly wider load bar. I see plenty of cars/vans/suvs around Colorado with a box/bike forward/bike backwards configuration.

I am kind of leaning toward a roof rack right now. I would feel comfortable enough getting the biuke up there as it is not really that heavy. I really like the Thule playpen cargo rack that is on the market right now. Apparently you can mount fork mnounts for two bikes and then have cargo space between the bikes.

I don't see why the decision would be any different to any other sedan/hatch on the market.

I mentioned the PriusOnline site for a couple of reasons:

1) Prius owners tend to be very conscious of their gas mileage. The fellow Prius owners can, perhaps, better relay their experience with MPG impacts of the respective rack types/locations.

2) Since (AFAIK) there is only one manufacturer who sells a receiver for the Prius, experiences with this particular retailer may also be important . . . rather than just hitch-mounted racks, generally.

In my case--having used roof racks and trunk racks previously--I shelled out the $$ and bought the receiver/hitch rack combo. Safe, secure, quiet, wobble-free, no overhang danger, and exceptionally easy loading/unloading.

i'd say that the trunk mount (strapped on) ones are only for junky cars that you dont mind getting scratched up.
When i get my new car i was planning on getting the hitch mount...but i never thought about the whole rear ending smashing the bikes. When i get it i'll consider the roof and the hitch i guess.

Generally true, but I had a Saris Bones rack (http://blbikeshop.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2425&Catalog=39) that I loved. My new car had a roof rack already, so I ditched it, but in some ways it was better than the roof -- i.e. fewer bugs and crap since it's behind the car. Very stable, never a spot of damage on my car. I had the 2-bike version which was stable loaded. the three-bike might be different, but they put some serious thought into the design of this thing. I guess the rear-ending might be a problem, but two friends of mine have driven into garages with bikes on their roof racks and it didn't quite clear (oopsy!). I almost did the same driving under a sky-scraper crane in Manhattan and the construction guy winced - after I passed, I realized what almost happened. I frankly think this is a greater hazard.