Thule Helium Pro 3-Bike Hitch Rack
Taking the stress out of family and group bike trips so you can focus on the fun, the lightweight aluminum Thule Helium Pro 3-bike hitch rack provides secure protection and easy on/off convenience.
- HitchSwitch feature allows rack to be easily tilted down, providing convenient access to rear of vehicle
- Lightweight aluminum construction is nearly half the weight of most steel hitch bike racks, providing easy installation, removal and handling
- 7 in. spacing between bikes
- Integrated anti-sway feature prevents bike to bike contact and 'disappears' when not needed
- Quick, secure and confidence-inspiring bike attachment with ratchet strap cradle straps
- Easily fold down bike arms when not in use with conveniently located HitchSwitch lever
- Complete bike security with integrated cable lock (lock included)
- Compact cradle design accommodates wide variety of bike sizes/frame styles
- Fast, tool-free installation with SnugTite stinger design delivers maximum speed, stability and security
- Transferable between hitch receivers; fits 1.25 in. and 2 in. hitches
Made in USA.
| Best Use | Cycling |
|---|---|
| Number of Bikes | 3-bike |
| Max Weight Per Bike (lbs) | 37.5 pounds |
| Extension Compatible | No |
| Hitch Receiver (in.) | Fits 1.25 or 2 inches |
| Bike Compatibility | Bikes with Fenders Kids' Bikes |
| Bike Mounting | Hanging |
| Bike Attachment Point | Frame |
| Trunk Access | Unloaded |
| Integrated Lock | Yes |
| Weight | 20 pounds |
Review this Product
Adding a review will require a valid email for verification
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Most Helpful Critical Review
Customer Images
Knob broke on first use
I was excited to try out the rack last weekend, but that quickly turned as I assembled it for the first time. It's very nice looking and sturdy, except for the part that matters the most, and that is the knob to tighten the grip on your hitch. I was able to get it tightened, but when I went to loosen it, the black plastic knob just twisted without grabbing the gear to loosen the screw. I had to take the knob apart and twist the gear by hand, or the rack would've been on my hitch permanently. Hope the part can be replaced, or this is really a worthless bike rack.
Pluses and Minuses!
I have always counted on Thule for many racks etc. over the years and when I picked this rack I was looking forward to using it instead of my old roof racks because my current car is higher and a rear rack is so much easier to use. Although the assembly instructions weren't the best I figured it all out and got the rack together. It was easy to put onto my car and it was easy to get my bike on (I started with just a single bike, in the forwardmost position). This is where the trouble began--I started on a long drive at highway speeds and after about an hour when I looked back it looked like my bike was cockeyed, so I pulled over and took a look. What I found was that the cradle on the left (the "rear cradle" which holds the seat post and the rear of the top bar) had (due to wind on the rear tire presumably) moved about 2" backwards. Picture attached. I had a heck of a time getting it back in place because the round-head screw that is supposed to keep it from doing that was there (this is a star screw and I don't carry star bits or drivers with me) so I had to force it back over that (which I was able to do using a handy stick I found by the side of the road as a punch and a rock as a hammer). Luckily I had some bungee cords with me which allowed me to connect the seat tube tightly to the vertical section of the bike rack above the trailer hitch to keep the rear of the bike from moving; but when I got to my destination I found that the cradle at the FRONT of the bike had moved forward over the round head screw that's supposed to hold it in place (presumably having been leveraged by a twisting motion centered on the now "locked" rear cradle). Picture attached. So this is just a very bad design flaw: a round headed screw is like a ramp, and you can't stop something from sliding with a ramp, you stop something from sliding with a wall! The screws are 8-32 so I stopped at the hardware store and bought some 8-32 x 38" socket cap screws (which have vertical sides on the head rather than a round head) as well as some longer 8-32 screws and some 1/4" aluminum spacers and put them on and they of course prevented any further movement of the cradles because the offer a positive vertical "block" against movement. Pictures attached. I have no idea why Thule isn't using this type of setup in lieu of the round head screws which just can't hold the cradles in place. I would have trouble recommending this product unless this design flaw was fixed. NOTE- I spoke with Thule about this and was told that, given that my bike does not have a completely horizontal top bar (which results in the rear wheel being higher than the front wheel), the rear wheel somehow will catch more wind than if the bike had a horizontal top bar which may be what caused the movement, and that the resolution would be to buy the Thule Frame Adapter which would get the bike to be level. But whether or not that is the case, it just seems obvious to me that using round headed screw to stop the cradles from sliding horizontally is absolutely the wrong approach and that they should be using some sort of vertically -sided screw (like a socket cap screw) to provide an absolute positive lock against sliding.
Pretty darn good
Pretty darn good, worth every bit of the price, and priced quite reasonably as well. I bought the three bike version a couple years ago, so there'd be enough space between bikes even though we only use it for two bikes. Very easy to load the bikes and clamp 'em down with those rubber ratchet hold-down things. The hitch receiver is 1 1/4 inches, clicks right in but ya still need to jiggle it a tad. The rack's gotten heavy usage and definitely has held up well. Only two complaints. It's about time to replace one of those rubber hold-down ties, and it's about 30 bucks for a set of four, a tad high. And other accessories seem pricey.
Great bike rack
I'm very happy with my new Thule bike rack. I bought it the day i left for vacation in a bit of a hurry because my old one was bent. My husband and I reasearched the best we could in the short time we had. Of course the REI employee was very helpful in answering all of our questions helping us choose the right rack for us. The bike rack was easy to install, light weight and with the tesioner knob fit so much more secure in the hitch than my old rack. I've used it several times since buying it just a couple months ago and haven't had any issues. Also it's very light and I can install and uninstall it myself.
Not for extended highway travel
I bought this carrier one week ago and made my first trip from Vancouver to Kelowna this weekend. The trip is 250 miles/400 km each way. On the way up the cradle holding the rear of the bike started to move, and on the way back it slid all the way back to the next cradle on the same support arm. If I had been carrying 2 bikes, they both would have been damaged from rubbing together. Each cradle has a center cut out. In the middle of each cut out is a screw with a raised head which is supposed to prevent the cradle from shifting. At highway speed, the system just doesn't work. After the cradle has moved the first time, it slips much more easily after that. This is a design flaw, not a defect in materials or workmanship. As other reviewers have mentioned, the manual is pretty useless. You may have heard of this large Swedish furniture store that also uses "cartoon" manuals, but at least theirs contain useful information.
Hello Mark, I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've been having with your Thule Helium Pro 3. I'm glad we were able to connect to discuss troubleshooting steps. The photos provided do not include the safety strap that comes with the Thule Helium Pro. This should be secured around the bike and the upright on the bike rack to limit movement from road vibrations and wind resistance. Removing the rear rack will also limit the air resistance in transit. While most Thule products are certified for safe use up to 80mph, road and weather conditions may necessitate slower speeds, at user discretion.
Boo
First, the instructions are just awful (so incomprehensible they make IKEA look like amateurs). They just confuse what is actually not a complicated process. I also have problems with the rack itself – no matter how tight I tighten the bolt between the main part of the rack and the bar that inserts into the receiver, it moves quite a bit and rattles up and down. The instructions indicate there shouldn’t be movement there, and if there is, to tighten the bolt more (at least I think that’s what they say). Since I can’t tighten it more, I’ll be bringing it back. Other than this problem, the rack seems like a good rack, so if they can fix this, or if it’s just a one-off lemon, I’ll change my rating/review.
Poor design for small bikes
On a 600 mile road trip straps did not hold. Used bungee cords to keep bike on. I have bike rack is lightweight and easy to install but latching mechanism for attaching bikes is poorly designed. I have two small frame mountain bikes with Trek fat square and cannondale round fat frame. Could not latch Trek bike at 3 points because of smaller frame. Round frame cannondale stayed on better. Straps came undone around Trek frame at bumps in highway and half of Trek bike fell off. Straps hard to undo. Bought several bungee cords to keep Trek bike on for remainder 600 mile road trip. Also Could not fit two bikes next to each other without jamming pedal into bike wheel. Very disappointed.
Do not buy!
Do not buy this bike rack. The tension knob that holds the rack securely in the hitch is defective and will fall off the rack. Thule does not sell this part or stand behind their product to fix.
Easy on/off and stable
Stable and easy to use rack. A giant upgrade from the "trunk" rack that we had before. I love the ratchet straps - guessing that maybe others didn't have them installed correctly? It's great not wondering if I'm going to snap the rubber strap while trying to get it on tightly. Installation on the car is really easy - just push it into the hitch, check the safety pin, and then tighten the knob. This plus the fact that it's relatively light weight were really important to me because I plan to take the rack off the car whenever I'm not using it. There is more fussing with this style of rack than with the tray style - three ratchet straps for each bike and then a long strap to hold all of the tires steady. But this rack is about 1/3 the weight of the tray style and will work with a 1.25" Class I hitch. The instructions need improvement - lots of graphics that are hard to interpret. I agree with a reviewer that noted that the instructions were worse than those for something from IKEA. For example, there was no info on how to orient the straps in, and so we put them in (and clicked them in place) backwards at first. It was a pain to remove and reverse them. It would be great if Thule put up their own installation video - the ones on YouTube from other vendors are only somewhat helpful. Also, some color-coding of the straps and the instructions would help - make the end of the strap that clicks in a different color that matches a color where it it supposed to go, and possibly make the side that goes against the bike another color. Had to drill an extra hole in our hitch receiver for the safety pin. We have a 2015 Subaru Outback with an OEM 1.25" hitch. Subaru put the hole about 1/2" in from the end of the hitch, not the 1.5" or greater that this rack needs. Luckily we had a drill and appropriate metal bit for the job. something to check before purchasing. (I know - drilling the hitch is probably not ideal, but better than a hitch adaptor which reduces the allowable tongue weight by 1/2, or replacing the hitch at a very high cost).
Difficult to fit two bikes
The new straps are difficult to use. The anti-sway cages are not as sturdy as the older model and are difficult to fit onto the bike properly. We have two higher-end road bikes and we cannot easily fit both of them because the bikes get tangled. I would not recommend this if you want to carry two higher-end bikes. If you are looking for a rack to carry some hybrids or kids bikes then this would probably work.