Lace Locks

April 4, 2022 3:44 PM

I read about Lace locks for runners in a great book on running called Slow Burn. Do you use them and if so, are they worth it and what brand do you recommend.
posted by Tziv to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

Best answer: I am not a runner, but I use them for my sneakers and my Timberlands. I got some on Amazon (sorry) from a company called Lock Laces. I think the description says, "Also great for kids, parents and seniors." I fit two of those categories currently and used to be in the other. I have been using a form of lace locks for probably two decades. Worth the $8 for sure. What I like is that they stay tight or at the level you set them. WHile the laces stretch a little, I prefer them over tied laces and not just because I don't have to tie them. They stay tighter or "tied".
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:11 PM on April 4, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I just looked at my history. I also got a few pairs of iBungee Laces which I use the locking mechanism (not sure what it is called) for my existing laces on certain footwear.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 4:13 PM on April 4, 2022

Best answer: I've used them and like them, I usually get the ones called "Lock Laces."
posted by drezdn at 4:17 PM on April 4, 2022

Best answer: Because I am a lazy person, have replaced all the laces in all my shoes with Lock Laces. I originally got them to make my triathlon transitions faster but have gone all in. My mother has done the same, for different elderly-person reasons. No regrets.
posted by charmedimsure at 4:25 PM on April 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I've been using them for years because a) I am lazy and HATE tying my shoes every time and just won't do it, and b) I have a cat who loves to chew on shoe laces but not on lock laces. I like them. They are easy to adjust, to tighten or loosen. I've also used a cheaper brand on Amazon and honestly they're pretty much the same. It can be a bit tricky to find laces that match your shoes depending on the color. I personalize every pair of my shoes with them and Engo anti-blister patches.
posted by jenjenc at 7:56 PM on April 4, 2022

I was a very lazy person who used lace locks for a long time on my walking around town nikes, just because it felt so boring having to tie my shoes every time I put them on. This system worked very well. Then, in an effort to be slightly less lazy, I decided to start a couch to 5K running program. For the purpose of running, lace locks turned out to be a really bad idea. Your feet may be different, but only one week of running in lace lock-fitted Hokas gave me a bad case of tendonitis that took a couple of weeks to go away once i figured out the problem. After that I relaced my shoes with conventional laces and the problem went away. I am now an Olympic Sprinter.
posted by Morpeth at 4:29 AM on April 5, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I used them when I broke my wrist and couldn't tie my shoes. They were great for that, but I don't use them now because I like being able to tighten laces. This might be resolvable by adjusting the lace locks so that they're tighter.

But I think using them for just walking around is going to be very different from using them for serious running. They're not expensive - I think you really need to try them out to see if they work for your purposes. You can always go back to laces if you don't like them.
posted by FencingGal at 4:42 AM on April 5, 2022

Best answer: I use Lock Laces brand. They're excellent. For the most part, I'm putting them on Vivobarefoot shoes.
posted by dobbs at 8:49 AM on April 5, 2022

As a non runner who once vowed never to tied another shoelace, I can recommend them highly.
posted by schrodycat at 6:34 PM on April 7, 2022