If your bow sits crooked and twists along the boot, the base is a granny knot. Start the knot the other way around and the bow lies flat across the boot. The Berkeley team found the flat, square version is the stronger one.
Laces that stay tied.
Every Rockwear lace has small bumps woven along its length. Inside the knot, those bumps press against the lace around them and resist the slow slide that turns a bow into two loose ends.
Key Lime, close up. Customers say the bumps are easier to feel than to see.
Why laces come untied.
In 2017, engineers at UC Berkeley filmed shoelace knots on a treadmill to find out. Read the Berkeley summary, opens in a new tab.
- Your foot hits the ground.
When you run, each strike lands at about seven times the force of gravity. The knot loosens a little every time.
- Your leg swings.
The swing whips the free ends and loops, pulling on them like a hand tugging the bow.
- The knot lets go.
Once the lace starts sliding, the bow can come apart in as few as two strides. That is why laces seem fine one minute and loose the next.
Take them for a walk.
Each step jolts the knot. Each swing pulls the free end. Pick a lace and watch one loop of the bow.
Knot hold
Pick a lace, then take 12 steps.
A simplified illustration of how the bumps catch. Not a lab test.
What the wave weave changes.
A smooth lace gives a loosening knot very little to push against. Rockwear's wave weave varies the thickness along the lace, so the knot has ridges to grip. They tie like regular boot laces, and you will hardly notice the bumps until you go to retie and find you don't need to.
Well-made and strong. Attractive color palate (I picked yellow-brown). Length was exactly as expected.Others said the laces are “bumpy.” This is true, but only vaguely noticeable to fingers and not visually apparent except upon close inspection.
No more double knots.
What customers wrote on our original store.
These are NICE! I'm not sure how they do it but the thickness ungulates and this is why they do not come untied. If you are sick and tired of retying your boot laces all the time...try these out...
It's not the first thing I ever thought of needing improvement, but being bowlegged means my shoelaces get more incidental contact from the other shoe, meaning they come untied more often than some. These solve that without double-knotting.
These are much better than the laces my columbia hiking shoes came with. The cinch down and stay, so you don't have to make a double bow.
I used them to replace the laces in two pares of boots (one pair of hiking boots and one pair used for yardwork), and they seem to be doing great. Have only had them a month or two, but no issues so far. They do stay tied without having to double-knot them too. Very happy with them, especially for the price.
Got these for my boots and I'm very happy with them. They don't come undone due to the special design with the little bumps..Look great too in red / black! Highly recommended!
Tired of your shoelaces loosening up as the day wears on? Here's the fix.
Three habits for a knot that holds.
Good laces do most of the work. These help with the rest.
Pull each crossing firm before you tie. A loose base gives the knot room to work.
Long loops and tails swing harder, and swinging ends are what pull a knot apart. Tuck extra length or wrap it around the top hook.
No system to learn.
Thread them through your eyelets and hooks and tie the knot you already use. No clips and no special lacing.
Keep a pair in reserve.
Every pack contains two pairs. Use the second pair in another set of boots, or keep it as a spare.
Questions about staying tied.
Why do my shoelaces keep coming untied?
Walking does two things to a knot. Each foot strike jolts it loose a little, and each leg swing pulls on the free ends and loops. Once the lace starts to slide, the bow can come apart in as few as two strides. A granny knot twists and fails sooner than a square bow.
Do non-slip laces really stay tied?
They help a lot. Customers report fewer stops to retie, and many have dropped the double knot. No lace makes a knot impossible to untie, which is a good thing when you want your boots off.
Do I still need a double knot?
Many Rockwear customers say they don't. Try a single bow tied on a square base first.
What are Rockwear laces made of?
Round, heavy duty polyester paracord, woven with the wave pattern. Each pack holds two pairs.
Are they hard to untie?
No. Pull a free end and the bow comes undone like any other lace.