meesr

Hello all-

Just put my road bike in the back of the q5 today for first time. Thinking it would be nice to have rear bumper type bike rack instead. Not a big fan of throwing the bike on roof. What do you suggest?

abacon09

I put an aftermarket Curt Hitch on my Q5 and use the Thule T2 bike rack. It works great.

JHRIII

This. I'm installing a factory hitch myself because I'm afraid to put an aftermarket one on that mounts under the bumper, (as opposed to through it), since my Q5 has the H&R Springs on it...... and I have a steep driveway. I don't plan on hauling anything but bikes, (its my job), and the T2 is the best most functional rack for the money........ unless you want to pony up for the 1Up rack which is what I'm planning on getting in addition to my my T2 since it is available in a "solo" version for just one bike, (All machined aluminum that is super light and folds up into a nice tidy package you can easily slip into the back when not in use).

ThunderDent

I'm pretty much through with the roof racks myself. I bought a couple of really nice Yakima locking racks which haul my road bike and mountain bike with no problems, but damn do you have to be careful putting the racks on.

I put a dent in my roof (right outside of the rails) putting the cross bars up one day by myself. I damn near shattered the sunroof in the process, but luckily it missed. Once the racks are up and on, all is good. I just hate keeping them on all the time. Its ugly, plus it changes the cars center of gravity, and you get worse gas mileage.

I'll put them on for one thing, and that's for a long trip. One where I'm taking luggage, dogs, etc inside the Q. But that's it

My road bike fits perfectly inside the car with the seats down with room to spare. Don't even have to take the wheel off. This is what I do when I need to haul it for group rides, etc.

I have a 2009 Trek Madone 5.9, full Ultegra

My last 2 vehicles both had hitches, and they rarely got used. So I don't plan on ruining my valence look with a hitch on the Q. At least not currently.

eskayo

What is the location of the wheel trays both when your T2 is folded up and when they're down?

I originally was looking at a T2 but decided instead on a Kuat Sherpa, which is suitable for both 2" and 1 1/4" (I want to move the rack between my Q5 and my wife's Eos).

I've had problems though, because the location of the aftermarket hitch is both lower, and more forward than the factory hitch. Since it's more forward, it actually can't fold up without hitting the bumper. I will need to use an extension. On top of that, when the rack is folded up, the wheel trays are in direct line with the exhaust. When the rack is folded down, the wheel trays are only about 4" above the exhausts. I'm worried both about the plastic melting and the bike tires exploding.

abacon09

With the rack in its normal down position the wheel trays are slightly raised and probably about 8 inches back from the exhaust. This is the only picture I have with the rack installed, hopefully it gives you a better idea. With the rack folded up I had to make a slight modification to the rack. Because the aftermarket hitch receiver is further down and forward I used a hack saw to remove the top 1.5" from the plastic wheel holders. Now when I fold it up, the wheel holders don't hit the car. If I'm traveling for a while with the rack up, I just bungee the holder arms so they don't bounce and hit the car.

eskayo

In the folded up position, are the plastic wheel holders in line with the exhaust? Do you see any signs of melting?

I contemplated cutting my rack to allow the rack to fold, but may go with an extension just to give a bit more room between the bikes and the exhaust. I'm either looking at the extension recommended by Kuat:

http://www.heininger.biz/sportsrack_extension6000.php

Or the extension with a built in rise recommended by etrailer:

http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-...urt/D-192.html

All of these problems would be non-existant if I had just gone with the factory hitch, but I got a quote for $1800+tax installed here in Vancouver. The after-market hitch was a lot cheaper.

Here are pictures of my rack:

RACK IN THE UP POSITION



RACK IN NORMAL POSITION



ATTEMPTING TO FOLD THE RACK UP

JHRIII

I'm really felling better about purchasing the OEM rack, (that I will install myself next week).

rez

Take pics and post! :-)

JHRIII

Sure, but if you're curious, here is how it fits, (not mine).

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2761630