Complete Tri

Lace Instructions

If you are reading this, you have likely purchases new triathlon speed laces or lock laces (or if you have yet to buy, you can find them here.)  Whether you got yours to help you be faster during transition, or just add convenience and comfort to your runs, we wanted to give you a quick lesson on how to use them.  Until you have laced them into your shoes a couple times, they can be a little confusing.

A note about locklaces – they are really meant to be put on to a pair of shoes and then kept there.  They are not designed to be something that you put on and take off routinely.  Pick the shoes that you want them on, and then just leave them on.  Our bet is that once you start using them, you will want them on all your shoes — although they look a little odd on dressy shoes, no doubt.

Here are the steps involved.  Note that note all laces look exactly like these, but the core concept is the same with all of them — they all have a locking part, and go on the same way.

Step 1: Get your shoes, lock laces (be sure to not lose the small plastic parts in the package), and a scissors.  It is best to do it at a clear table.

Step 2:  Unlace the old laces from the shoes.  Whether you keep the old laces or throw them away is totally your call.  You won’t need them again.

Step 3: Layout your new laces. Make sure all parts are there – the lace, a cone-shaped plastic piece, and the circular eye piece.

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Step 4

Step 4: From the front (or toe end) of the shoe, begin lacing up the new laces as you would with a regular pair of shoelaces.

 

Step 5:  Once you are complete, or at the top or ankle end of the lace area, insert your foot into the shoe to make sure the tension and tightness is generally OK.  It doesn’t have to be perfect yet.

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Step 6

Step 6:  With the shoe at the right tightness, take it off without altering the lace position greatly.  Now take each end of the lace and run them through each eye hole in the circular stopper.  Press on the switch to open the eyes.  It doesn’t matter which direction the stopper is put on – up or down – but most runners prefer the switch facing up.

Step 7:  Put both laces through the plastic cone-shaped piece, with the larger end of the cone facing the toe.

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Steps 7, 8, 9

Step 8:  Approximately 2 inches below the stopper, tie a small, tight knot in the lace.  The cone should be in between the circular eye piece and the knot. The knot will need to be small enough to fit into the large end of the cone-shaped piece.

Step 9:  Cut the excess lace off, below the knot.

Step 10:  Pull the knot into the cone-shaped piece to conceal.

Step 11:  Adjust shoe to desired tightness — it should already be close.  Put more or less lace through the eye piece to make shoe tighter or looser.  Some runners choose to tuck the excess lace, along with the cone, under other laces.

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Complete! Some runners may choose to leave more lace, this is on the shorter end of the range. Some runners also choose to tuck the cone under another lace on the shoe.

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