Anybody used or experienced them? Guy I work with and sometimes ride with has started using one and thinks it’s the dogs bits? So are they good? Bad? Your views please.

A guy I knew who did semi pro raved about them, but he raved about everything he did that folk didn’t know much about.

Makes sense to me that it should help though.

First I’ve heard of it.

Sounds like snake oil, but the only thing I’ve found on it so far that isn’t a sales pitch is this:

http://www2.brunel.ac.uk/news/cdata/powerbreathe+award

I saw them about ten years ago I think…as I recall it’s something that could well help your CV system ‘a bit’ but is no substitute for actually getting on your bike or going out for a run and ragging yourself to the brink of unconsciousness. Repeatedly.

Saw them at the London Bike Show yesterday – looks like an electric crack pipe to me.

Bought one a couple of years ago, used it for 2 weeks 3 times a day, got bored and it’s gathered dust since – can’t say I noticed any difference during the brief period I did use it. Then again I can add powerball, dumbbells, swiss ball and exercise bike to the list of stuff gathering dust so others may get more mileage from one :p

I bought one and it was a total waste of time for my purposes. They might be useful for sprinters i guess, but i’m sure most people’s leg muscles give out way before their lung muscles in 99% of scenarios. You’d be better off spending the time you’d use it doing calf raises or pushups.

IMO of course.

If you’re asthmatic maybe it would be useful too?

They might be useful for sprinters

I would have thought the opposite given that sprinting is anaerobic.

Ventilation is very very rarely (never?) the limiting factor to continued exercise….

I looked at these a few years back and the only papers I could find written about them concluded that if your lungs were a bit shit to start off with (i.e. you are a 70-odd year old granny with COPD) then they will give you a bit of benefit but if you are young and fit and healthy then they do bugger all. Willing to be proved wrong though if there has been more recent research.

They might be useful for sprinters

I would have thought the opposite given that sprinting is anaerobic.

On a bike, especially with a big lead out, i’d say it was both.

For me that’s typically the only scenario when my lungs can’t keep up with my legs anyway.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11421512

Excellent find, sir. Thanks.

So in a nutshell they are carp and an expensive piece of equipment to make you sound that your making an obscene phonecall.

My brother got me one for my birthday last year- I think possibly as a joke since I’d just broken my ribs 😆 I used it a bit, since I do run out of breath very fast but I can’t say as I felt any benefit. And it’s very dull to use.