Yaris hatch bike rack

[7:34pm]

Yea I know there's a few threads already.

I was dead set on getting a trailer hitch mounted for a bike rack as I'm a fan of things being mounted fairly solid; I once saw a bike rack fall off on the highway!

Now I'm thinking a trailer hitch might be an inconvenience if I have to remove it for every autocross etc, plus it's a little more costly as there's more to buy.

Has anyone had success with a hatch mount bike rack? They seem flimsy. Looking to carry up to three bikes.

[WeeYari]

I use a hitch mount on my Yaris, but had, in the '80s, used a hatch/trunk mount with no issues other than eventually marking the paint.

While the one I had was a cheap thing purchased from Canadian Tire, if I was to do it again, I'd probably look at Saris racks.

[canadian deacon]

I have this one: http://www.swagman.net/product/original3-ball-mount/

It's a good heavy construction. I also have a lock for the receiver (pin lock). The rack doesn't fold down. I was worried that the folding ones were too flimsy. The rack fits in the trunk of my Yaris when not in use.

[CrankyOldMan]

I've got a Thule hatch-mounted one like this. It's not very convenient if you need to get into the hatch with bikes mounted, but that would be the same for a hitch mount.

I've successfully done 2 bikes, but I can't recall at the moment if it holds 3. Looks like there are hatch-mount options that hold 3.

[CoryM]

Originally Posted by 7:34pm

Has anyone had success with a hatch mount bike rack? They seem flimsy. Looking to carry up to three bikes.

Hatch mounted tend to cause scratches, and it can be hard to keep the front tire/handlebar off the back of the car. Depending on the weight (and cost!) of the bikes, I would be more comfortable with a hitch mount. I'm pretty happy with my setup. Except for the fact that I am broken and can't ride for a long time :(

Modern hitch racks come out pretty quick, and you have more options with a hitch.

Cheers.

[aspro]

Roof mount. Nice and solid, looks awesome and still allows access to the hatch. I'm running Thule aero bars and two Yakima upright bike carriers. And the cross bars go on and off in minutes.

[nookandcrannycar]

I saw a Subaru today.....same new one CTScott has.....and it had two bike racks. one off the back that was carrying two mountain bikes, and another one on the roof that was carrying one mountain bike. Sort of a 'lima bean green' color (the Subie, not the mountain bikes ). I later saw another example of the same model...sort of an off white color (looked great ).

[xtremesniper]

Originally Posted by aspro

Roof mount. Nice and solid, looks awesome and still allows access to the hatch. I'm running Thule aero bars and two Yakima upright bike carriers. And the cross bars go on and off in minutes.

Out of curiosity, did you skip on the hitch because the RS trim gets in the way? I've been reading into hitches but I've read a number of them do not work with RS/S trims thanks to the extra space the add-ons take.

Also, do you have any closer pictures of the roof rack and any with bikes mounted on them? I'm suddenly curious about roof racks as an alternative if it's clean, easy and sturdy enough.

[cpu2k]

I'm using a Thule platform hitch rack on my Yaris. It's secured onto the hitch with a bolt, so the platform doesn't rock or move when the car is in motion. It's a bit on the heavy side and having 2 mountain bikes on it will weigh the back end down a bit (I have stock suspension), but overall, it does the job and hasn't fallen off yet :P

[xtremesniper]

Looks nice! I think for me if I didn't have the RS kit then the hitch mount would be a no-brainer. I haven't found a hitch that fits around the RS kit yet.

With roof mounts I get worried about the clamps wearing down the body paint, or even causing damage to the waterproofing liner around the doors. I've heard that some of them cause the doors to get pushed down a little bit when they close. That doesn't sound good to me.

[WeeYari]

Originally Posted by xtremesniper

I think for me if I didn't have the RS kit then the hitch mount would be a no-brainer. I haven't found a hitch that fits around the RS kit yet.

I have a 2010 RS rear bumper on my 2006. When I put the bumper on I discovered that my hitch receiver would compress the bottom edge of the RS trim about 1/8". Once on you can't tell that the bottom of the trim has been pushed up a bit.

[paulge3]

Like this one-- yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29807

[dasnake]

I have a 2008 yaris 2door hatchback. I installed 2 thule sidearm bike carriers using the square bars and a thule short roof adapter. I've had two downhill bikes (40lbs each) up there for 3 seasons. Not a single issue. Regular bikes don't weight 40lbs so you make be able to mount 3 bikes if you reverse the head a tail of each bike. i think my roof is rated for 110lbs or so.

I was considering a hitchmount, but they are clumsy, make your car longer and pull down the suspension. The weight of the hitch and the racks and the bikes on leverage will weigh your car down.

roof rack is the way to go.

[dasnake]

read all my posts about roof vs hitch from 2012

[WeeYari]

If you go with any other hitch other than Curt I will not stand behind my statements pertaining to fitment. Then again, who knows, maybe another manufacturer makes one that sits a hair lower.

Remember what I said about etrailer. They ship out of Ontario.


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[bgkz25]

I have a saris porter 3 that I have been using for the past few years.
I just use one of the straps tp tie the front wheel up to keep it from flapping back and forth. The steel hooks are plastic coated for paint protection.



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