gatechie291

I recently leased a 2010 Prius, and I'd like to be able to carry mine and my girlfriend's bikes (a Novara Buzz V and a Novara Transfer). We'd most likely be taking trips under 5 hours, but we may drive between Boston and Atlanta a couple times per year (~1100mi). I may also like to use it on a daily basis, as I may want to carry my bike onto campus and ride it between classes.

Because it's a lease, I'm going to rule out hitch racks and roof racks and safely say that I'll probably get a trunk rack. Now first off, my dad let us borrow an old trunk rack (probably 15+ years old) on a 3 hour drive to the Cape. The bikes swayed, were about a foot off the pavement, and after getting there, we noticed that my girlfriend's car (a Saab sedan) had a fairly wide, but shallow dent in her trunk. Can anyone reassure me about trunk racks? Since it's a lease, I really don't want to have to deal with dents and/or scratches.

Now... which one should I get? REI is having their anniversary sale and they have a few Yakima models on sale (super joe 2, king joe 2, quickback 2), but they all got awful reviews on REIs site. I looked on Amazon and they seemed to get better reviews there... but I also saw the Saris Bones 2 and models by Allen and Hollywood Racks which all got good reviews as well.

My only criteria are that I stay under $150, the bikes don't sway, the rack is secure/sturdy, and it doesn't damage my car.

I have Amazon prime so I could get those models in a couple of days vs tonight/after work if you guys recommend yakima/thule models.

Any suggestions?

Edit: A hitch rack MAY be okay, as I've read that Priuses have a mount (so I could do it myself)... BUT I probably don't have any of the tools and the whole solution would be quite a bit more pricey than the trunk rack. Plus, I wouldn't be able to use it on my girlfriend's Saab (9-5).

metabike

The Saris Bones is a pretty decent trunk/hatchback rack. We did 12 hours from Detroit to Athens, GA and had no problems so long as you check the straps every 2 hours or so.

PaulRivers

There's a thread about a similar topic on PriusChat.com:
https://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-...0-prius-4.html

I used a Saris Bones rack on my 2009 Prius with 3 bikes - it didn't go well. I didn't lose any bikes, but the top arms don't stay firmly against the hatch. See my last post on that thread for details. The 2010 model is a new model, different than the 2009 model, but they're both hatchbacks and I think that's the problem.

Saris.com lets you put in a specific car and tells you which racks are compatible with that specific model of car. They don't recommend the Bones rack. For the 2010 Prius, it looks like they recommend the Saris Guardian or Saris Sentinel racks.

colombo357

Damage is okay for a Prius.

RonH

Saris Bones racks have an anti-sway piece so the bike won't sway if its mounted correctly.