Roof Bars Advice

[norris_309]

Been thinking of getting some roof bars for my avant so I can transport my bike on the roof.
There are loads of different ones on offer & a big range in prices!

Any of you guys have experience of roof bars?
I've seen the audi ones are pretty steep price wise & have seen some for under £50 on eBay.
Can cheap ones be trusted??.. Don't want to risk things flying off the roof because I'm too tight to buy proper ones.

Or is it best to keep an eye out for some second hand Audi ones?
Never had a roof rack before..

 

[barkclark]

My cousin has had audi's for many years and bought nothing but Thule roof bars / bike carriers. I'm not saying anything is wrong with others but due to his experience ill be buying Thule.

 

[Mike_B]

Another vote for Thule - or consider Halfords bars, but not their fitting kit! The square section H/fords bar are quite probably made by Thule anyway and will take the Thule fitting kit, which is good. I carry two heavy, long, sea kayaks on this set-up and it's solid. I frequently hear stories in the world of sea kayaking of cheepo bars and fittings coming off cars.

I've used the same bars for something like 15 years, just buying the correct kit to accommodate a few different cars in that time. All this said, while their bike carriers may be ok, I'd suggest avoiding their kayak "J cradles" at all costs if anyone is into kayaking. There are much better ones available from other sources.

 

[JimmyO]

I'd get Thule ones. Although i recently bought some cheaper ones (about £70-80 new from ebay) they were for a chap at work, they looked quite decent but i haven't seen him fit them yet.

Make sure you get them for the correct year of avant as the rail design changed.

 

[nohope17]

I picked up some Audi ones on ebay for about £50. Thule has a good repulation tho if your buying new.

 

[SmoothAssault]

I think Thule is who actually make the Audi ones. I got the Audi roof bars for my saloon off ebay for around £50, and carry bikes with a pair of Mont Blanc carriers. Very secure and all seem very well made.

 

[norris_309]

Cheers for the advice, I think I'll avoid the fifty quid eBay ones and go for Thule or Audi then. I'll keep an eye out for some second hand decent ones rather than new cheap items

 

[barkclark]

I had a quick look and I'm sure I seen genuine audi ones or thule starting at £50!

 

[AudiLeon]

I got a second hand pair of Thule for my A4 and the A6. Fit well and easy to fit.

 

[crazy88]

You want some whispbar's. They're really sleek looking! Not as practical as they sit between the roof rails, but they're a really nice bar.

I've got some and coupled with a huge roof box I've never had any issues.

 

[Spacemonkey]

Flippin 'eck- you could strap an outboard on that !!

Need a good rack to carry kayaks for mine.

 

[Welshquattro]

Where did you get the whispbars from and how much crazy88 if you don't mind me asking

 

[crazy88]

Got mine second hand from a member on here. Seem to remember I paid about 80 ish? But looking now they're £160

The link below says b7, but they're the same for the b6 as the roof bars are identical on the 2 cars. I'm just on my phone, so finding the link for the b6 is a bit of a pain. I love the bars though. I can just squash my bike next to my roof box with those bars so they're good enough for me

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rb...egd3uHrues}V9NXTUc6tCBYAsYUmKjF1PQNwoVzVOcSpP