# Round shoe laces **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 27, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022 "2009-03-27T19:17:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/21 "2009-03-28T22:57:32Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > I’m a runner and I always use… > > [Ian’s Secure Shoelace Knot](http://www.shoe-lacing.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm) > > You can see some other alternative shoelace knots on his site as well. > > [Ian’s Shoelace Site](http://www.shoe-lacing.com/shoelace/index.htm) [QUOTE=shoe-lacing website] **Bandwidth Limit Exceeded** The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later. [/quote] Geez, what did you do, cross-post this to slashdot? ---
**Author:** ![cantara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6f9a4e/32.png) [@cantara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cantara)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/22 "2009-04-01T19:58:07Z")
Now that the Ian’s website is back up, [this](http://www.shoe-lacing.com/shoelace/slipping.htm) describes the problem and the solution very clearly. If your tied bow lies across your foot, you’re solid. If your bow lies ankle to toe, you’ll be retying shortly. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/23 "2009-04-01T20:14:04Z")
Round, eh? That _does_ pose a problem. Still, a single snip with a good pair of scissors should bring things back into order, shouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/24 "2009-04-01T20:22:11Z")
Double knots, people. Sheesh. Tie your shoes as per normal, then, take the two loops and yank a simple overhand knot. It never comes untied. I use this habitually, whether running, hiking, walking around, caving, whatever. And you don’t have to learn a new knot. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/25 "2009-04-01T20:24:51Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Round shoelaces hav been around (heh heh) since at least when I was a teenager, which would make them at least 30-40 years old. They were thin, and they were like… waxed or something, and they were used on dress shoes. Thanks for this. I was reading this website with a growing bewilderment thinking, but the flat shoelaces were the ‘new’ style. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/26 "2009-04-01T20:35:48Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Round, eh? That _does_ pose a problem. Still, a single snip with a good pair of scissors should bring things back into order, shouldn’t it? Not just round, but with a twist in it. Mobius strip laces confound me. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/27 "2009-04-02T19:57:23Z")
> [@StealthHit06](#): > > Whether round or flat, shoelaces always untie for me. If I tie them so tight that they _don’t_ come untied, then I can never untie them. > > Shoelaces are the devil. Power laces are where it’s at. But those won’t be around until 2015. I used to have my shoelaces come untied all the time, until I realized I was tying a sort of granny knot. Try this: when you’re tying the last part, cross the bows over the other way (from the way you’re currently doing it). I retrained myself and my shoes stay tied all the time. Independent confirmation: My friend God of Citroens, whom I retrained to tie his shoes properly, thinks I’m a genius. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/28 "2009-04-04T13:11:32Z")
A lot of my real shoes only have openings for round laces, not flat ones. Those few that come undone, I do a normal knot after the lace knot. But It’s interesting to see other knot possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/29 "2009-04-06T01:41:50Z")
[Yankz](http://www.yankz.com/), my friends. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/30 "2009-04-06T15:38:41Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Double knots, people. Sheesh. Tie your shoes as per normal, then, take the two loops and yank a simple overhand knot. It never comes untied. I use this habitually, whether running, hiking, walking around, caving, whatever. > > And you don’t have to learn a new knot. \ I used to think that, until both DogDad and I got new shoelaces. I’d hassle him for not knotting his laces after tying, because his were _always_ coming undone. Finally he got pissed and said, “fine, YOU do it for me then.” I tied his laces, did the overhand-knot thing with the loops, pulled them as tight as I could. I swear to you, **fifteen minutes** is all it took for those damn laces to untie themselves. I’ve emailed him Ian’s solution and I’m hoping it works. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/31 "2009-04-06T18:41:49Z")
I think it depends on the material used to make the laces. I’ve had some round laces that stay put with a single, common bow knot, and others that come untied when you look at them sideways. The laces on the shoes I’m wearing today are round and they stay put. The laces on my daughter’s sneakers, even when her mother or I tie them, come untied 4-5 times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/32 "2009-04-07T14:45:23Z")
> [@cantara](#): > > Now that the Ian’s website is back up, [this](http://www.shoe-lacing.com/shoelace/slipping.htm) describes the problem and the solution very clearly. > > If your tied bow lies across your foot, you’re solid. If your bow lies ankle to toe, you’ll be retying shortly. That’s interesting. It took me a couple of goes at tying my laces in slow motion but I eventually figured out that I tie a good knot and probably always have done. I was a bit bemused at all this talk of laces coming undone. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/33 "2009-04-08T07:13:23Z")
One word: velcro ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2009, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/34 "2009-04-08T07:47:57Z")
Oh, oh, oh, a chance to plug the best thing to set foot in the world of accessories in the last decade: “Bubble” [Sure-Lace](http://www.strabell.com/scripts/prodview.asp?idProduct=202) Laces. Or check out the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vs_ZirRtew). Got a pair as a gift a few years back and now I put them on every pair of shoes. They fucking work wonders, no new knots required. ---
**Author:** ![yandoodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/d6d6ee/32.png) [@yandoodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yandoodan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/35 "2009-04-09T03:59:32Z")
Keeping your shoeslaces tied is easy. Just put a drop of glue on the knot. (No, not Gorilla Glue. That blue Children’s Glue that dissolves in water.) ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/36 "2009-04-09T17:54:49Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Oh, oh, oh, a chance to plug the best thing to set foot in the world of accessories in the last decade: > > “Bubble” [Sure-Lace](http://www.strabell.com/scripts/prodview.asp?idProduct=202) Laces. Or check out the [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vs_ZirRtew). > > Got a pair as a gift a few years back and now I put them on every pair of shoes. They fucking work wonders, no new knots required. Wow, thanks for that. I need some of those for my skates. Tripping over a shoelace is embarassing. Skating over a skate lace (and falling immediately flat on your face) is painful. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/37 "2009-04-10T01:11:45Z")
> [@Idlewild](#): > > This thread is the best thing on the internet. I like to think of the great computer scientists of yore (your what? I dunno) toiling over their vacuum tubes and picturing the day when people could come together regardless of race, sex or religion, and explore the wonders of tying their shoelaces. > > Really, we’ve come a long way, baby. It’s great. 😃 I don’t know why a mild rant about shoelaces pleases me so much, but it does. BTW, yore means ‘long ago.’ I didn’t know they had vaccum tubes in the days of yore. The Straight Dope - you learn something new every day! I am going to start a related thread in MPMSIMS about when you learnt to tie your laces. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/38 "2009-04-11T15:36:05Z")
> [@yandoodan](#): > > Keeping your shoeslaces tied is easy. Just put a drop of glue on the knot. (No, not Gorilla Glue. That blue Children’s Glue that dissolves in water.) Great! Now your shoes will only untie at the worst possible time - when you’re walking outside in the rain 😉 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/39 "2009-04-12T16:22:57Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > One word: velcro The only reason I can see for using velcro instead of proper laces is either for children too small to tie a normal bow-knot (and at age kindergarten, they should start learning and practicing it), or for elder/handicapped people. If you’re a real adult capable of tying knots, wearing grown-up shoes for real activities like walking or any kind of sports, laces are far better at adapting to your individual foot shape than one or two velcro bands. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022/40 "2009-04-12T16:26:03Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I think it depends on the material used to make the laces. I’ve had some round laces that stay put with a single, common bow knot, and others that come untied when you look at them sideways. The laces on the shoes I’m wearing today are round and they stay put. The laces on my daughter’s sneakers, even when her mother or I tie them, come untied 4-5 times a day. I agree with this - while special knots help avoid problems, sometimes, the material is so slick that they come easily untied (mostly city shoes that have to look nice). In that case, maybe buying plain cotton laces and swapping the slippery laces, in addition to special knots, might help. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/round-shoe-laces/491022.md?page=3)