Lace 'em up
7Technically I am an adult but what is holding me back from being a genuine one is my inability to tie my shoes with a knot to remain in place longer than 30 seconds. When I tie my sneakers in the morning, by the time I reach the car, I have to retie them. It ain’t right! It’s one of many reasons why I am single. I was thinking about going to velcro straps (…a second reason) but while I’m close mentally to doing so, I kind of think that would be throwing in the towel.
What is your shoe lace tying technique? Does it last you for hours and hours on end? Does it provide for a secure fit that makes you the envy of your friends and four year olds alike?
Do share!
- 14 comments, 15 replies
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You might want to try one of the several flavors of elastic laces…
/image elastic laces
@compunaut I put a set of these in some Vans I have, and they work reasonably well. They don’t do much for making them any more snug than leaving them untied, but they do make them lazy-friendly slip on shoes
It depends on the laces. Round laces like to untie themselves easier than flat floppy laces.
But check out this technique:
/youtube Ted talk you’re tying your shoelaces wrong
@djslack this was the way I was taught - I seem to never have problems with laces coming undone - now I know why!
@djslack @stolicat this is the technique I use. I hardly ever have to retie my shoes and I slip my sneakers on and off.
@djslack I checked this morning and learned that I’ve been tying the strong version of this knot, which makes sense given that I’ve rarely had to retie my laces over the last 56ish years (not sure when I started tying my own shoes).
@djslack I (apparently) tie the strong version of the knot, but I do it the opposite of what is demonstrated in the video - I hold the initial loop with my left hand and loop around it clockwise with my right. Works for me.
@djslack sweet! I no longer have to double tie! Thank you.
My son still ties his shoes via the “bunny ears” way… he’s 17 and had been doing it that way for about 11 years… swears it’s the best way.
I have a pair of semi-dress shoes (with round laces) that I leave tied and slip on/off, and have only needed to re-tie about 4-5 times a year. The key I have found is to just pull the loops as hard as I can. Works for me.
My daughter hates my velcro strapped shoes. But I fit right in down with the mall walkers.
@therealjrn said:
Kids these days.
@f00l @therealjrn
I’m an old fart, (says my hubby anyways) and I must agree with your daughter, hate, hate, hate those velcro sneaks!!
NO, NO, NO, don’t get the Velcro strap on type sneaks, not unless you most definitely NEVER want to be married! Be aware, IF you do go that route it’s gonna put you in a whole other sea of fishies to choose from. Jus sayen…
I always double knot my laces- so it doesn’t matter which way I make my bunny’s ears.
/giphy double knot
I’ll pay attention next time I wear sneakers and let you know.
I use a variant of the bunny ears knot. You pass both ‘ears’ through the middle. The result is a knot that stays secure while I’m wearing the shoe, but slips undone when I purposefully pull on one end.
Also, many shoe knots require back tension from the two strands that connect to your shoe to stay secure. So if you tie your shoes loosely, then many knots won’t work.
@fibrs86 This is THE best way to tie your shoes. The other version via the TED talk above is nothing more than understanding the difference between a square knot and a “granny” knot…if your shoes come untied it’s because you tied a granny knot and there isn’t enough friction between the laces to hold in place. This version negates that whole issue.
@fibrs86 @tightwad This is fantastic. Why was I never informed?!
There was even a TED talk about square knots.
My brother-in-law runs marathons and crazy 24 hr races and swears by Caterpy laces https://caterpy.us/
He can slip on his shoes, never has to tie them, and they stay secure enough for running.
Just do a double knot after you tie them. Take the loop part and tied a square knot over the already tied part. I know lots of people who do that with kids (and themselves) and then they don’t come undone.
@Kidsandliz I do that most of the time anyway, just to use up some of the extra lace that’s flopping around. Especially on hiking and work boots.
@Kidsandliz @stolicat I agree in my post above.
I got my husband a pair of these last year and he seems to like them quite a bit: Skechers Sport Men’s Afterburn Extra Wide Fit Wonted Loafer,pebble,13 4E US
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075PGZHTG/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_9xKbEbXHS1TA3
10 years in the Boy Scouts, plus being a Boy Scout leader for 15 years more and it still wasn’t until I learned the “Secure Shoelace Knot” that I could be sure I was doing it right. I have learned easily dozens of knots and remember about 5 of them…luckily this is one.
Learning to tie a square knot is the basis of tying your shoes…most parents teach their kids wrong, so they learn poor muscle memory and then it’s incredibly hard to unlearn.
It’s simple really…just do the old “bunny ear” method but pass both ears through instead of just one…done.
Hey I caught this on reddit this week might be some inspiration for you:
@thismyusername My daughter loves this video. We’ve already planned a morning trip for extra long laces so she can practice before school starts back up. Thank You.
@Nate311 @thismyusername I’ve been using this website for years:
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacing.htm
This was my favorite that I did on a pair of blue and white Airwalks with the blue and white included laces. It is awesome because you can change the diagrams depending on how many eyelets.
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/angledcheckerlacing.htm
@RiotDemon @thismyusername This is great! Thanks.
I don’t think I’ve had a shoe lace come untied since I was a child… I have no idea how I tie mine either. I don’t think about it at all I just do it.
This guy thinks about it way too much and while interesting I have no intention of relearning
https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/knots.htm
Although i see someone beat me to his site right above me. Oh well