Speedo Breaststroke Fins in Europe?

[ptoot]

Hi all,

These Speedo breast stroke fins have a good reputation for assisting to improve ones leg kick. The only problem is that only USA dealers seem to sell them and the postage and handling more than doubles the prices of them, getting them shipped to .uk, .be or .nl

Speedo Breast Stroke Fins at SwimOutlet.com

Does anyone know a dealer in Europe or someone willing to sell his/hers.

I'm after the medium size (Blue).

Thanks a lot!

 

[trux]

Well, I orderd mines a few years ago, in the USA and I do not think that even including the shipping they would be any cheaper in Europe, because European stores will charge you shipping anyway, and additionally also the VAT. At this amount you wan't pay any import tax when receiving them from the USA.

I purchased them at Swim2000 and I've paid $35 including the shipping. I see they are now more expensive (~$33 the fins alone without shipping), but I bet that even with the shipping they'll be still less expensive than when bought in Europe. When I bought them, the shipping was $17, which is about what you'd probably pay in Europe too.

 

[ptoot]

Thanks Ivo,

Hmm, not available in my size, just xs and xxs.
Delivery only through MyUs.com

So erm, not selling yours

 

[trux]

Ah, it must have changed since I ordered They shipped to Europe directly and inexpensively.

Well, in that case try Leisure Pro - they have them even cheaper, and I have a good experience with them too (not buying these fins at them, though).

 

[azapa]

i agree. I ordered some in the USA too. With shipping and everything they were still only 50% of my local price.

Incidentally, I used them for a while and then got quite bored of them. I found them impossible to use underwater too. Probably just me.

 

[watts]

Watch out for excessive stress on knees and groin.
The best tool to improve kick would be a pool bouy to limit width of kick.

 

[trux]

Yes, as Simon tells, they are not very useful underwater - you burn oxygen faster, and have worse glide, so do not expect doing a new PB with them. On the other hand they are excellent for training. As Watts tells, they stress the muscles, knees and the groin. And that's excellent for strengthening them. Caution is in place, of course, since the higher stress presents also higher possibility of injury.

Personally I never had any problems, and I use them often quite intensively. Another risk of the fins is that they may teach you the wrong kick. I train with them often and intensively, but for both reasons (to avoid an injury, and to avoid learning the wrong kick), I alternate with other methods. When I am at the sea, I use to do daily 2km hypercapnic swims. I alternate the methods in the cycle approximately in this way: 1st day without any fins, 2nd day with the Speedo BS fins, 3rd day with hand paddles (no fins on the feet), 4th day I take the AquaSphere Alpha breast stroke fins, the next day hand paddles again, then I swim ankles or knees bound with a rubber band, then with nothing at all again. Sometimes I use the pull buoy too (though more in the pool than on the open sea).

The AquaSphere Alpha fins require quite a different kick, and they train a slightly different muscles. I simply switch among the methods to avoid stressing the same body parts two days each after other. Each day I focus on a different part to avoid the fatigue, to permit the recovery, and to avoid injury.

So as a conclusion, I highly recommend the Speedo BS fins, but you should not rely exclusively on them. The Alpha fins, a swimming buoy, a rubber band, as well as pure swimming (or swimming with a jar or a tshirt for increased drag) are good for complementary training too.

 

[Simos]

Yes, as Simon tells, they are not very useful underwater - you burn oxygen faster, and have worse glide, so do not expect doing a new PB with them. On the other hand they are excellent for training. As Watts tells, they stress the muscles, knees and the groin. And that's excellent for strengthening them. Caution is in place, of course, since the higher stress presents also higher possibility of injury.

Personally I never had any problems, and I use them often quite intensively. Another risk of the fins is that they may teach you the wrong kick. I train with them often and intensively, but for both reasons (to avoid an injury, and to avoid learning the wrong kick), I alternate with other methods. When I am at the sea, I use to do daily 2km hypercapnic swims. I alternate the methods in the cycle approximately in this way: 1st day without any fins, 2nd day with the Speedo BS fins, 3rd day with hand paddles (no fins on the feet), 4th day I take the AquaSphere Alpha breast stroke fins, the next day hand paddles again, then I swim ankles or knees bound with a rubber band, then with nothing at all again. Sometimes I use the pull buoy too (though more in the pool than on the open sea).

The AquaSphere Alpha fins require quite a different kick, and they train a slightly different muscles. I simply switch among the methods to avoid stressing the same body parts two days each after other. Each day I focus on a different part to avoid the fatigue, to permit the recovery, and to avoid injury.

So as a conclusion, I highly recommend the Speedo BS fins, but you should not rely exclusively on them. The Alpha fins, a swimming buoy, a rubber band, as well as pure swimming (or swimming with a jar or a tshirt for increased drag) are good for complementary training too.

Are the Alpha fins fit for BS? I have a pair but never thought they were made for BS

Warning: don't take the Alpha fins for a deep dive, they'll never recover! lol

 

[trux]

Are the Alpha fins fit for BS? I have a pair but never thought they were made for BS

They are universal, and perfect for breast stroke. Better for surface training though, since they are quite buoyant (made in PU foam).

 

[ptoot]

Watch out for excessive stress on knees and groin.
The best tool to improve kick would be a pool bouy to limit width of kick.

Thanks you guys for contributing, but how do you limit the width of you kick with a pool buoy? Do you keep it between your thighs?

Btw the fins have shipped together with an indispensible handheld depth sonar, uk tiny eled light and silicon cap )

(I love gear)

 

[pingshui]

Yes, you keep the pull buoy between your thighs, rather close to the knees.

One warning: The BS stroke can really injure your knees if practiced excessively or if you use the fins with the wrong technique. Best do it like Trux said: alternate your training.

 

[Simos]

Firstly let me say that I don't train BS much so take what I say with a pinch of salt but I would be really cautious of using fins for essentially no-fins training if the issue is your technique. I think it'll probably just make things worse.

For strengthening they probably make more sense (once more, be careful of injuries) but still I think you'd be better off doing kick only lengths, sprints etc

This might not apply fully to the fins you bought as the blade is sideways but for fins like alpha I think the danger is developing a kick that doesn't have enough 'snap' and relies heavily on the propulsion generated by the foot/fin ie a bit like sculling with fins

 

[trux]

Btw the fins have shipped together with an indispensible handheld depth sonar, uk tiny eled light and silicon cap )

(I love gear)

So, where did you finally order them from? If you ordered plenty of gear, you save on shipping, but on the other hand you may get over the free import limit, and may be required to pay the VAT and custom fees.

 

[ptoot]

So, where did you finally order them from? If you ordered plenty of gear, you save on shipping, but on the other hand you may get over the free import limit, and may be required to pay the VAT and custom fees.

I wasn't aware of a free import limit. I ordered them from LeisurePro.
They claim they shipped it last night already. Total $200,50 or so

 

[trux]

Not sure whether in Belgium it is the same, but in France the limit is 150€. Everything above it, coming from ouside the EU will be taxed, and unfortunately the tax is often quite higher than just the VAT. They usually add some kind of manipulation fee too.

So, with $200 you'd be just somehwhere on the edge (depending on the exact exhcange rate the day it comes) with the French limit. However, it may be quite different in Belgium.

 

[ptoot]

OK! The fins (and other merchandise) arrived yesterday morning. That's blazing fast I think.

Unfortunately, it was quite costly, $144 of merchandise (bs fins, a light, a cap and depth sonar), $58 of postage and then at arrival in .be €30 duties and €14 handling fee.

But -hey- since there seemed no European supplier of BS fins or this depth sonar, it was the only option I had...

Apparantly, .be does not have a $150 free import limit. :-/