[crit]

Road trip upcoming. Will it all fit?
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I have an Audi A3 sportback (etron, NO possibility for a receiver hitch) with no roof rails, so if I get bars they will be the 30" manufacturer bars.

The Yakima Rocket Box is 24" wide. That looks like the narrowest thing I can get.

Does that leave enough space for two bikes?

Thoughts and alternatives welcome!!! Thanks.

 

[gundrted]

Don't get factory bars. Get all aftermarket like Yakima or Thule. Then get whatever size bars you need.

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[fleboz]

what gundrted said, just watch your head getting in and out. and set the bikes up opposite of each other.

 

[crit]

It looks like there are no roof mounts available except Audi's. Thule and Yakima both said "no mounts for your car". Weird car I guess.

 

[gundrted]

It looks like there are no roof mounts available except Audi's. Thule and Yakima both said "no mounts for your car". Weird car I guess.

That is odd. Do they have options for a non etron a3? You could also call REI and see what they say. They have always been very helpful with me.

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[crit]

It is odd, but that seems to be what I'm stuck with. I've been making phone calls and all, but it seems to be that's the reply, so I'm stuck with the mfr mounts/bars.

So that's what drives the question -- if the bars are 30", will the 6" left over from a 24" box leave me enough space for 2 bikes (assuming I remove the pedals)?

 

[bvibert]

So that's what drives the question -- if the bars are 30", will the 6" left over from a 24" box leave me enough space for 2 bikes (assuming I remove the pedals)?

I highly doubt it.

 

[bachman1961]

I had a VW Fox wagen, , Rocket box and bike mounts.
I think you can put a bike on each side if you have to save room and position the pedals so each side to the box can fit tighter to it - if needed.

As said prev, bikes on the same side facing opposite may work fine and do not take up much width at all if you position the pedals and run the mounts on the bars close together. Handlebars are way up out of the way.

Per mounts specific to your car, if they still call them Q clips or ? - I had a problem similar with a older Caddy and went with clips for a car with a similar roof line and shape.

I think if you spend a bit of trial and error you can come up with a fit that works - worst case situation is having to pull a bike down on the side to get easy access to the box.

You can lay the rack on the ground and eye everything up for fit and measurements quite easy too. Even in the store.

 

[RPS1030]

Looks like Thule has options to me.

I'd say most bike carriers themselves take up almost 6" of rail anymore as it is, so rails that extend beyond the roof are going to be needed.

 

[crit]

argh - sorry, I swear when I put my car info a few days ago into Thule's site it said "sorry, no donuts for you". Thanks for your help.

 

[gundrted]

Not sure it it matters but 'eteon' isn't in the car model. I have no clue if the roofs are different.

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[RPS1030]

argh - sorry, I swear when I put my car info a few days ago into Thule's site it said "sorry, no donuts for you". Thanks for your help.

It happens, who knows where the glitch might have been. Sportback shows up on both Thule and Yakima for me.

Not sure it it matters but 'eteon' isn't in the car model. I have no clue if the roofs are different.

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True, but when I was shopping last year, it came up that that gen of A3 sportback was all sportbacks were e-tron and all e-trons were sportbacks.

 

[dir-T]

I'd say most bike carriers themselves take up almost 6"

That was my thought too. Even my old Yakima Steelheads (circa 1998) were about 4" wide (each) at the clamp and the new stuff looks even bigger than that.