Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack

This item is currently sold out or unavailable online.

Or, may we suggest shopping for similar items:

Shop more Trailer Hitch Bike Racks Shop more Thule

This page is provided for reference to historical product information.

Show me:
Product Description,
Product Specs,
Reviews

The Thule Helium 3 hitch rack securely carries up to 3 bikes and offers an ultralight weight construction that's easy to handle when installing and removing.

Easy loading dual-arm design with narrow cradle arms carries a wide range of bike frames, including kids' bikes
Tilt-down design with Hitch Switch™ quick-release lever allows fast rear vehicle access
T3™ cradles lock down bikes and cradles while allowing complete adjustment along bike arm
Integrated locking cable secures bikes stores conveniently in the rack's support arms; includes Snug-Tilt™ lock to secure your rack to the receiver
No Sway Cage™ anti-sway device prevents bike-to-bike contact
Thule Helium 3 accommodates both 2 in. and 1.25 in. receiver hitches with included hitch adapter

Please note: Thule products cannot be shipped to Canadian addresses.

Imported.

Item 799936

Oversize shipping charge ($15) applies.
Or ship for FREE with REI Store Pickup.

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack

4.0

(based on 11 reviews)

91%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy to use (11)
Lightweight (11)
Easy to install (10)
Stable (10)
Durable (8)

Cons

Best Uses

Road bikes (6)
Large cars (3)
Mountain bikes (3)
Small cars (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid cyclist (6), Casual/ recreational (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (9)

Reviewed by 11 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

Aug

2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

nice and light!

By Steve Riley

from Odessa,TX

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Road Bikes

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

use it to take bikes on trips. Nice locking system.

Comment on this review

Aug

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Nice bike rack

By Lighthouse

from El Dorado Hills, CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

If you are looking for a stable, light, reliable, nice looking with all the lock features (both for bicycle and the bike rack),and the flexibility to be able to open the rear door of your SUV, this rack is for you. I researched a lot of bike racks and even got another one which I returned since the bike was swining a bit. My conclusion was that this bike rack was a bit pricy, but I did not find any bike rack with all the features that I was looking for for lower price.

Service and delivery comments:

The product arrived in good condition.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Properly named

By josh_t

from Lakewood, CO

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Noisy

Best Uses

Small Cars

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

I've been using this rack for about a year. I wanted something that was easy to install and remove but still had the same functionality as larger racks. This thing is super light and easy to put on with the twist tightener for the hitch. Once you learn how to attach your bike, which may require the use of a frame adapter, it is very stable and will not harm your bike. The cable lock works well, although you'll want another lock to secure the wheels. Also, the design is very attractive black and silver.

Two cons:

The cable lock is extremely noisy when it's not in use. The part that keeps it from pulling out when extended rattles inside the arm. A little foam or something would fix it, but there is no access to it.

The pin that backs keeps it locked to the car in case the primary lock fails is awkward. It never seems to be attached properly because it just kind of hangs there and doesn't snap into place or anything. A through pin with a clip as used on trailers would have been nice.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

(4 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

NOT GOOD FOR SOME MT. BIKES

By MrWolf

from Los Angeles, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Fits only specific bikes

Best Uses

Road Bikes

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

After a lot of research, I finally settled on this rack because of its weight, ease of installation, and cost. BE FOREWARNED...this rack is only good for road bikes and maybe some FRONT suspension mountain bikes as long as they have conventional frame geometry...but it will not accept FULL suspension frames or bikes with radical frame design.

It wasnt until 5 mins before I was leaving on vacation that I realized my full suspension Santa Cruz Nickel (which is not that radical a design) wasn't going to fit on it. I ended up having to wratchet-strap the bike onto the rack. Granted, I should've tested it the day before when I bought it, but I did tell the REI salesperson I was planning to mount a full suspension mountain bike on it and she didn't forewarm me about this design point. So perhaps I'm a bit more dissapointed in REI personnel because the product is designed really well...it's priced well for such a light rack with lots of features. Also, it wouldn't take my kids mountain bike either. So yes, I would recommend this rack since I can see the merits of its design when applied to certain bike frames, but do your homework and if you can, bring your bike into REI and test it there. Suffice it to say, just going to go with a platform-style rack.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Light lean and sexy. Even matches my BMW

By ramonetl

from Seattle WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Luxury Vehicle

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

I bought this in the recent sale, not because I couldnt get it cheaper elsewhere but because I could return it if I decided it did not work for me. I really wanted a 3 bike carrier in case we have an extra person tag along. Most carriers are really made for trucks and hell no I am not putting a trunk carrier or even worse a roof rack. I drive a BMW535xi. I paid too much money for this car to do that evil to it. So that creates a conundrum. Well Curt makes a hit for my model car and problem solved. It was inexpensive though by the time you add the cost of the thule not so cheap anymore. But my car looks clean when I remove it. What I like is its light and I mounted it with one hand. Even the wife can do it. I also like that its not huge and it matched my paint nicely. The built in locks is a must to me.

Comment on this review

May

2012

5.0

Excellent!

By blevin1972

from Baltimore MD

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Small Cars

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

This particular bike rack was the exact fit for my car. My two seater convertible does not allow for a lot of weight on the hitch so this bike rack weighing 20 some odd pounds was just right.

Service and delivery comments:

I purchased my third bike rack from the Columbia MD REI and was glad I did. The salesman went out of his way to ensure my customer experience was top notch. Salesman was extremely knowledgeable about all the bike racks and was dedicated to ensure I purchased the proper product for my needs. The in store service was worth the drive into the store to ensure that I could fit a bike rack to a two seater convertible with ease and confidence this was the right product for me.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

This is the rack I've been looking for

By janagram

from SF Bay Area, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

After reading so many negative reviews about bike racks that are wobbly, heavy, and difficult to use, I wondered if a good bike rack even existed, but we are very impressed with this Thule. It's easy to install, the bikes are very secure, and for all you women out there, it's light enough for one normal person to handle. And I love the tilt feature. One can easily lower the rack with attached bikes, let go of it, open and close the hatch to the car, and then raise the rack again. It locks firmly back into place. The only thing we found confusing was the bike lock that's included, but a glance at the instructions solved that problem.

Comment on this review

Nov

2011

(0 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Didn't last

By quisque4

from Chicago area

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Weak Construction

Best Uses

Large Cars
Road Bikes

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

The rack was easy to install and load with my bikes. But the lock knob that secures and locks the tongue in the receiver broke off on first use. So I contacted Thule, who said to return it, which I did and purchased the Yakima Highlite 3 instead, but I couldn't even install that rack (see review on Highlite 3).

Comment on this review

Jun

2011

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Secure, well made rack

By ladeedah

from Silvefr Spring, MD

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Large Cars
Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes
Small Cars

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

Tired of lifting my bike up and balancing it to get it secured to an aging roof rack, I decided to try the Helium 3. I put a hitch on my Matrix, and initially ran into problems because the square lugs on the bolts that secure the upright to the stinger assembly would not seat properly to allow the nuts to be tightened. Thule sent me another stinger assembly, with return shipping provided for the original, but the problem persisted. It turned out that the powder coat finish was a bit too thick, but the cycling shop at my local REI showed me how to use a plastic-faced hammer to seat the bolts. After all of that, assembly was easy, the unit seems secure and sturdy, and is easy to use. I will give it a considerable test soon with a 2000 + mile, round trip for RAGBRAI, but so far I am very pleased with the unit - especially with the combination of light weight and sturdiness. It was certainly worth the money spent on it.

Comment on this review

Aug

2010

(11 of 11 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Best Rack

By IFlyFish

from Reading, MA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight
No tools needed to remove
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Different types of bikes
Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about Thule Helium 3 Bike Hitch Rack:

Had originally purchased the Thule Ridgeline 4-bike rack thinking that loading 3 bikes would be easy - could barely get 2 bikes on ( 1 mens and 1 womens mountain bike, 3rd bike a small frame womens wouldn't fit). Returned it an purchased the Helium 3. Installed in minutes and loaded all 3 bikes in no time. Just drove 600 miles with no concerns.