Best Single Bike Rack for Road Trips on a 2010 Toyota Prius

Question:

Our daughter plans to travel this summer and is taking her bike with her, going from northern FL to Cape Cod. She works remotely, due to COVID and is staying with a colleague. She is currently teaching, and asked me to investigate bike racks that might fit her car for the long trip and time away. She is interested in a single rack. Here are the stats for her bike and car: 1. Car: 2010 Prius, no trailer hitch 2. Bike wheel: 26 top to bottom 3. Seat tube: 18 4. Top tube: 23 5. Overall length: 67

asked by: Cathleen M

Expert Reply:

I myself drive a Prius and use it for long road trips! For the best experience, she's going to want a hitch-mounted bike rack. For that, she'll need a hitch. The Curt Trailer Hitch # C11276 is a quick and easy option. Just note that it has an 1-1/4" receiver size. We also have some good trunk mounted bike racks, but for long-term use, we like to recommend a hitch bike rack first.

Next for the bike rack. I have two really good options. The first is the Kuat Transfer V2 # KU64FR. This is a single bike rack that uses a front wheel mount. It is very very easy to use due to its U-shaped frame and really nice foot lever for tilt. It's compact design makes it less likely to obstruct your license plate and tail lights when folded up.

The next option is the RockyMounts MonoRail Solo # RKY10007. This is also a great compact bike rack that tilts away and folds up. It's designed to fit a larger variety of bikes like fat bikes or heavy electric bikes.

Witch the specs you gave, both will fit your daughter's bike and both have locks to help secure her bike and rack while she travels. One difference is that it uses a hand lever lever to tilt away/fold up which I personally think is not as easy to use, but it's not a big deal function-wise. I prefer the Kuat Transfer because it's a new and improved design from Kuat and I think the overall experience is smoother.

expert reply by: Evangeline M