trunk bike rack

[Chiguanodude]

Hey guys, do any of you know of any good trunk bike racks that work well on the B8? It's too much of a hassle putting the back seats down and worrying about scratching the car. I don't want to install a roof rack so any help would be highly appreciated. thank you.

[s4buckeye]

www.yakima.com

www.thule.com

[Chiguanodude]

www.yakima.com

www.thule.com

thank u.

[AWDLover]

Also check the saris bones 2 and 3

[Stubek]

I bought a generic one for my B6 from Performance for about $75. Locked it and the bikes to the rear tow hook. I've used it on my B8 Avant once, another B8 sedan a few times, and a surbaru Impreza hatchback a couple times. It is super easy and only takes about 1 minute to adjust to a new car.

[Chiguanodude]

I bought a generic one for my B6 from Performance for about $75. Locked it and the bikes to the rear tow hook. I've used it on my B8 Avant once, another B8 sedan a few times, and a surbaru Impreza hatchback a couple times. It is super easy and only takes about 1 minute to adjust to a new car.

i was kind of hesitant about the rear tow hook im so glad u told me it works well. that seems so much easier than having to do the whole trunk thing. thank u!

[S4_Phantom]

I had the Yakima SuperJoe 3 which is a great bike rack but it didn't seem to fit right on my S4. Worked great on my TL but the bumper on the S4 is different. I couldn't get it to sit right without fearing the weight of the bikes would damage the car. And I don't like the bars to be at a downward angle. I feel like the bikes will fall off. Check out the KingJoe, KingJoe Pro and SuperJoe Pro. One of those might work better.

[Stubek]

i was kind of hesitant about the rear tow hook im so glad u told me it works well. that seems so much easier than having to do the whole trunk thing. thank u!

It was a trunk mount thing, but the tow hook under the rear bumper I used to run a cable lock from the bike rack to the hook to secure the bike and rack to the car to keep people from stealing them.

[staticuxo]

i went with a roof mount as i did on my previous S5 and S4.. Yakima Whispbar with Thule 517s:

[kausbose]

If you take out the wheels (assumming you have quick release wheels) and the saddle. Wrap the bike in a old sheet and put the wheels in wheel bags. You should be able to put this setup in your trunk easily. I ride a size 56 road bike. I do this every weekend. I travel with my bike between baton rouge and Jackson, ms. But then again if you are thinking short trips to a ride destination, then this might not be feasible. My $0.02 though.

[staticuxo]

If you take out the wheels (assumming you have quick release wheels) and the saddle. Wrap the bike in a old sheet and put the wheels in wheel bags. You should be able to put this setup in your trunk easily. I ride a size 56 road bike. I do this every weekend. I travel with my bike between baton rouge and Jackson, ms. But then again if you are thinking short trips to a ride destination, then this might not be feasible. My $0.02 though.

yes, but you risk scratching things and dirtying the interior. i wouldn't want a muddy mtb inside my car interior.. especially when it's caked on after an unexpected rain storm x:

and i can put the bike on the roof in under 30 seconds.

[kausbose]

yes, but you risk scratching things and dirtying the interior. i wouldn't want a muddy mtb inside my car interior.. especially when it's caked on after an unexpected rain storm x:

and i can put the bike on the roof in under 30 seconds.

Key differences.

I am a roadie. I don't see much dirt and grime on my bike. And as you see. I have wheel bags and a big ass blanket (sheet) to wrap up the bike and keep the crud inside and prevent it from spreading all inside the trunk.

I have to travel 350 miles each week. If I have the bike on the top of the car it will be covered in bug guts like the front of the car. I can disassemble the bike and put it back together in about 20 minutes and I feel the bike is safer with it being inside the car rather than the outside.

I could make an argument about the mileage of the car which will drop by about 5 miles per gallon with the bike on top of the hood spoiling the aerodynamics of the car.

As I said earlier if you are planning this for short trips then breaking down the bike may not be feasible however, I find it suitable for my long ones.

[focusaudi]

Also check the saris bones 2 and 3

i can't recommend saris enough. They are much less expensive than thule and yakima and are very good quality.

[Chiguanodude]

Thanks for all the input guys now I'm just a bit more confused. I take my bike to the beach n ride there, but my girlfriend just got a bike so I really need some sort of rack. I'm thinking of just going with the most economical choice whatever that might be.

[S4_Phantom]

Thanks for all the input guys now I'm just a bit more confused. I take my bike to the beach n ride there, but my girlfriend just got a bike so I really need some sort of rack. I'm thinking of just going with the most economical choice whatever that might be.

You can buy a cheap bike rack anywhere but remember if the bikes are expensive (or heavy) they need a good solid bike rack to support them. This is an area you shouldn't skimp on or they may end up on the road.

[staticuxo]

You can buy a cheap bike rack anywhere but remember if the bikes are expensive (or heavy) they need a good solid bike rack to support them. This is an area you shouldn't skimp on or they may end up on the road.

i don't know how much the trunk racks are but the roof racks are far from cheap they easily can run you north of $600-$700 for a full setup with locks.

[kausbose]

Thanks for all the input guys now I'm just a bit more confused. I take my bike to the beach n ride there, but my girlfriend just got a bike so I really need some sort of rack. I'm thinking of just going with the most economical choice whatever that might be.

I think that this bike rack will suit you the best.

http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/v...&category_id=7

You should be able to get these in the $100 to $135 range new and somewhere in the $75 to $100 range used on craigslist. I think that you should also invest in some form of clearskin at the points where the bike rack rests on the car, so that you eliminate whatever chances you have of scratching the paint. I think a couple of iphone screen protectors should work great.

Cheers mate.

[ECS Tuning-Audi]

We have roof rack base bars (currently on sale!!) and bike racks available below! Feel free to PM me with any questions!

Roof rack base bars.

Click HERE to order or for more information.


Bike racks. (available in many colors)

Click HERE to order or for more information.


Jason

[AWDLover]

Bummer I hadn't seen this earlier. I just sold a brand new still in the box Saris Bones 2 bike rack for $100 that I had gotten for my B8 A4. I ended up getting a Thule Aeroblade rack with rockymounts bike carriers as I also have a ski rack to put on for the winter.

As someone else mentioned if you go with trunk mount, use some paint protection film and make sure the rack feet and location you are mounting to are VERY clean. Otherwise you might as well be putting sandpaper to your paint...

[Chiguanodude]

Bummer I hadn't seen this earlier. I just sold a brand new still in the box Saris Bones 2 bike rack for $100 that I had gotten for my B8 A4. I ended up getting a Thule Aeroblade rack with rockymounts bike carriers as I also have a ski rack to put on for the winter.

As someone else mentioned if you go with trunk mount, use some paint protection film and make sure the rack feet and location you are mounting to are VERY clean. Otherwise you might as well be putting sandpaper to your paint...

Thanks. I think I'm going to go with the saris bones and definitely put some kind of protection.

[zokissima]

Threadsurrection!!!

So, do you have any updates with your experiences with this trunk mounted setup? I am currently debating myself. Have you had any longer road trips?

[will13k7]

I tired the trunk setup once, didn't realize how stressful it is on the paint, even with the soft pads. Left marring that I had to buff out. if you care about your paint, stay away, I tossed mine after that. When buying it, nothing warns you about the paint damage, sneaky bastards!

[Toecutter]

I have a Yakima trunk rack that I used on a B8 A4 that I previously owned and it marred the paint despite being well-padded. I wouldn't do it (unless you don't care about your paint).

[stoked_S4]

i can't recommend saris enough. They are much less expensive than thule and yakima and are very good quality.

I second this. If you go this route buy the bones 3 version. More stable with 4 legs and 3rd row keeps the bike more away from the car. Like all trunk racks there might be some paint issues. You have to always keep the pads on the legs clean. Bonus tip; cut off old inner bike tubes and insert them on metal hooks that are at the tips of the belts that attach rack to car. Those metal hooks will do some damage if they are loose.

I stick to putting the bike inside the trunk by removal both wheels.

[ny tdi]

Trunk racks work great on hatch backs. The rack rests against the glass, and only partially on the metal/painted part of the hatch. On sedans, it will ruin the trunk lid. Scratches and paint discoloration are inevitable. Roof it, or hitch it. Never trunk it!

[ALWAYS4UDI]

At the end of the day, to each their own, but I'm much more in love with the roof setups over the trunk ones. Plus you can color code whatever you want now-a-days...

Party with color-matched Yakima Whispbars...



Or matte black Thule Aeroblades...



I have some shots of when the Aeros were red as well. Somewhere on the them internets.

[Russtty]

I had a Saris RS for a while before picking up a Jetta wagon for the dirty work... Nice setup and very easy to install. Would go with Saris again without a thought.