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Be careful when choosing a cycle carrier.  I bought one last year thinking we could get our 3 cycles on, as it was advertised as a 3 bike carrier, to discover that there is a weight limit if 45Kg. 

I bought the high carrier which hooks on to the car (not having a tow bar).  I was a bit worried about the weight of the bikes so I weighed them individually (standing on the kitchen scales).  The total weight came to nearly 60Kg. 

I rang the manufacturer and they said that the average bike is 15Kg - and they agreed that it is probably more suited to kid's bikes!  Consequently, we can't put 3 bikes on it and can only safely carry 2 which is a pain, so we have the dilemma of whether or not to get roof bars. 

Incidently, I couldn't find a carrier for our car that would safely take our 3 bikes otherwise I would have taken it back and bought the other one.  Not even Thule could help me.

You can get carriers that bolt between the car and the towball on the hithc. You can use these while towing, but have to check the clearance. The weight from this and the bikes should be included when calculating the hitch weight.

On the roof, the roof box does not have to sit central. You can push it right to one side (this makes it easier for loading anyway) and then you might be able to squeeze a carrier up there. They generally need about 30cm on the roof bars. If you use the Thule aero bars and have the right fittings then you don't have the problem of the roofbar feet getting in the way of the u-bolt fixings, and so can use the whole length of the roof bar.