Did the Klutz book of Knots first popularize this knot? The method they gave is different, but I think it's the same. It's been forty-some years...
Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
191–200 of 239 posts
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#192I've been using this knot for a decade or so, and my shoes have come untied twice. Both times I stepped on a loose end and pulled it open. It's incredible
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#193Wasn't this just posted?
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#194If you love this, you'll love learning about tying huarache running sandals: - http://borntorun.org/shop/howtotie.html - https://xeroshoes.eu/pages/tarahumara-sandals - https://importantbutnotatall.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/huarac... Infinitely many ways to tie these. I've been rocking these almost daily for three years now. No other sandals like it. My feet feel extremely free. They are also extremely easy to make; a…
I would be interested in seeing a video of you DIYing a pair of these from scratch.
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#195Related. Others? Ian's Shoelace Site - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48288156 - May 2026 (2 comments) Ian's Shoelace Site - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46848231 - Feb 2026 (72 comments) Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42155457 - Nov 2024 (21 comments) Ian's Shoelace Site - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37646964 - Sept 2023 (64 comments) An Interview with Ian Fi…
There's a lot from Ians site alone - https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=fieggen.com
The fact it's a regular and popular for 18 years is the best throwaway.
Personally the greatest thing I ever bought is boots with a zipper. They also have shoelaces for ~legal/OH&S reasons, but you only have to do them once.
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#196I use Ian's (Fast) Knot and that's good enough for me. https://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/ianknot.htm
This is definitely the go-to knot over secure knot. Been using it every day for 13 years. Yes, it comes apart every so often (maybe a few times a year), but the tying time savings far outweighs those few instances.
> Yes, it comes apart every so often
Laces type matters a lot here. I've run countless miles with a fast knot without it ever coming undone.
The secure knot does feel like a cheat, though. It's like a double knot that you can untie like a single. Witchcraft!
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#197When I was six or seven my older brother untied my shoelaces when I wasn't looking, and I tripped on them and almost fell down. This was apparently a traumatic event for me since it has affected my behavior ever since. I've double-knotted my shoelaces every time since then, usually remembering why. For about the last 57 years. When I was about 12 the same brother tried it again and failed due to the double knot. It w…
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This really bothers you, huh?
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#198Earlier quoted context omitted.
> coming undone multiple times per day (unless double knotted) You have bad laces. I thought this too before I tried different laces. Turns out different tensions and elasticities give different strengths of knots. For example I have some military boots which came with slightly stretchy laces. They NEVER come undone, ever. They were the first pair that switched me on to this, and since then I have always bought laces…
Do you have a brand of those laces? The original ones on my Brooks runnign shoes are usually pretty good, but overtime they start getting more loose.
Sounds like:
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#199Earlier quoted context omitted.
Usually it's not the fabric but trapped dust that scratches the coating when you wipe.
Dust is harder than hard plastic?
A large amount of dust is essentially powdered rock, which absolutely is harder than the plastic you would generally find in optical lenses.
Re: Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot
#200yep... I remember the day I saw a short ted talk explaining the correct knot. I had been doing it wrong for decades. thanks for even more knots to try.