BrampTTon

Thule appears to show a multi-purpose rack system for the TT that one can then attach Thule accesories to.

Anyone using it?

I ask as it is a damn sight cheaper than the Audi TT roof rack system. The Audi roof rack with 2 bike carriers would cost more than my bikes!!!

Base: Audi $394 Thule $215
Holder: Audi $116 Thule $75

Any info appreciated, eh.

SecuriTT

I have the Audi model and it's the best way to go. The Thule "aftermarket" rack, while functional, looks like heck on the car.

I ordered it and when I took it out of the box I was not happy with it's boxy, utilitarian appearance.

I still don't believe I spent over $500 on a bicycle rack.

BrampTTon

$500USD = Way too much in Canadian Dollars!!!

SecuriTT

Way too much in American Dollars too!

MiTT

It's a bit unconventional, but works amazingly well. My goals were to have something that didn't destroy the roofline of the car (one of my favorite things about it), was very secure (my bikes are worth more than my old car), and allowed me to still open the hatch!

I ordered the Audi base from Clair, but I only mounted the rear bar. For those of you who don't know already, the Audi base screws directly into recievers on the roof of the coupe. It's quite rigid and visually works well within the confines of it's utilitarian purpose.

Then I cut down some old Thule cross bars I had to approx. 12 inches long. I drilled some holes through the ends to pass a 5/15 carriage bolt through from the T slot in the Audi base. I then mounted the Thule Lockjaw (short version, no trays), to the cut down crossbars, and mounted two of these assemblys to the Audi base.

To complete the mounting I obtained some foam kayak blocks from REI as well as a padded kayak strap. I cut a slot in each of the pads that it just under the size of a 2.1 mountain bike tire, and I cut up a pair of old fleece socks (Brilliant Black of course), to lend some additional padding to the kayak strap.

To carry bikes I first have to make sure that everything I need is loaded in the hatch, including front wheels in trash bags to protect the inside of the car. Then I carefully position the strap across the hatch opening such that the cut down socks (which have been threaded over the strap), cover the points where the strap will exit the hatch. I position the strap right at the transition of the roofline to the rear deck, then close the hatch. Then I position the foam block right at the line between the back glass and the rear deck, mount the bike fork in the Lockjaw and the rear tire in the foam block. I then thread the kayak strap between the spokes and sinch it down. The weight of the bike is clamped down at the front fork and the strap and foam block keep everything secure. Works great up to 90mph so far. I can still open the hatch all the way (without bikes on the car), and if I ever want to remove it entirely I can simply unscrew the Audi base from the roof and it's done.

Gerg

Until someone else makes a rack that attaches to the bolts in the roof (Thule doesn't) the Audi base is the only way to go. A number of people have used attachments from other manufacturers with the Audi base. Search the archives for more info.

Clair parts has the base bars for $340. The web site says they're not available, but I called them a few weeks ago to order mine and they had some in stock.

Greg.