Mountain biking is an increasingly popular sport. It requires minimal equipment, with only the bike itself as the basic need, and you can add as many extras and additions as your heart desires, such as decoration, safety equipment, helmets, pads, and even modifications and spare parts.
So, you will need to know that you can transport your bike to your destination of choice. If you own a Prius then thankfully the answer is yes, you can fit a mountain bike in a Prius, although it will take a few folded seats and a little bit of rearranging to do so. It will be a tight fit, but it is possible.
Luckily, this means that as long as you are travelling without a whole cohort of people and extra equipment you will not need to invest in additional things such as bike bars and racks. Below we will tell you all you need to know about travelling with a mountain bike in a Prius.
How to Fit a Mountain Bike in a Prius
Luckily, there is not too much hassle required when putting your mountain bike into your Prius. The Prius has a handy design feature where the back seats fold down leading into the trunk of your car. This means that you can essentially create a large and flat space behind your driver’s seat to put your bike.
However, since mountain bikes are typically very large this can be a tight squeeze and require a bit of time and patience, especially if you need to take other things with you. This can take a bit of rearranging to make sure that nothing will move about and hit anything else. The last thing you want is your mountain bike damaging the inside of your Prius!
Enthusiasts often recommend removing one or both of the wheel from the mountain bike as these will make it a much easier fit into your car. As long as you are comfortable with your bike and the tools that it needs this can save you a lot of space and will only require a little bit of time and effort once you reach your destination!
We recommend using a mountain bike multi-tool like this one to easily remove the wheels and seat on your mountain bike.
If you plan on taking other things with you on your adventure, such as camping supplies, additional tools, food, clothes etc. then taking off one or both of the wheels will give you the room that you need all the rest of your things comfortably.
However, only choose to do this if you are comfortable putting the wheel back on. The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination only to find that you do not know how to put the wheel back on, or that you are missing a tool that you need!
This will only ruin your trip when in fact you could have fit the entire mountain bike in your Prius without any adjustment!
Additional Options to Transport a Mountain Bike in a Prius
If you are travelling with other people, or are simply transporting a lot of other things, for example, if you are going camping while on your mountain biking adventure then you are going to need to utilize your space in your car as best as possible. This means that you may not have the luxury of folding down the seats inside your car to make space for your bike.
In this case, you may need to look at additional tools and costs to make your travels easier. There are two other ways of transporting your mountain bike using a Prius: roof bars and a bike rack. Essentially, you can either attach your bike to the roof of your car or to the back. This means that you can free up your entire car for space.
However, these can be quite costly and so make sure this is the best option for you before purchasing.
Investing In a Roof Rack or Bike Rack
Most people will find that when buying a good-quality mountain bike the price can sometimes be a bit of a shock so they will not want to spend extra money for the hobby before knowing that they truly love it.
So, if all you need to do is to buy a bike and then nothing additional is needed (as you can transport it in your Prius) you can easily try the sport out to see if it is right for you. Afterwards, you can treat yourself to all kinds of fancy additions and extras to make your sport more comfortable and enjoyable.
This means that you may choose to invest in tools to attach your bike to the outside of your car. So, although you can fit a mountain bike in a Prius, you may indeed eventually choose not to.
This may be purely out of comfort or you may choose to bring your friends and family along with you on your adventures, meaning that you will need a little bit more room!
Final Thoughts
So, basically, the simple answer is yes, a mountain bike will fit in a Prius. This means that you can enjoy the sport without much extra expense, making the sport reasonably cheap to enjoy.
You will need a little bit of time and patience, but you can either fit the bike in the car as one whole piece or you can choose to remove one or both of the wheels, allowing you much more space inside your car.
However, if you are travelling with other people or need to take a lot of things with you then you may need to invest in a bike rack or roof bars so that you can attach your bike to the outside of your car for maximum space.
