Tuesday, September 15, 2026

When's the last time you broke a shoelace?

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How about "I can't remember" — does that sound about right?

Yesterday, while I was lacing up my running shoes to go out for a run, it occurred to me that my laces looked perfect — no signs of wear or tear — even though I've had the shoes for a fairly long time.

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Then I got to thinking about how as a kid it seemed a frequent occurrence, breaking a lace and having to create a makeshift repair or relace through fewer eyelets to make what remained functional.

What's changed in shoelaces?

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Why don't they seem to break anymore? 

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Inquiring mind wants to know.

4 comments:

  1. Cotton laces of yore vs. nylon ?

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  2. antares
    When was the last time I broke a shoelace? Well, given that my footwear for the last 30 years has been only boots and velcro-closed sandals, 30+ years.

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  3. Long time reader. Thank you for all the posts. About this post involving shoelaces... Maybe it is the way you tie the laces? If so, there is a TED video that talks about this: https://youtu.be/zAFcV7zuUDA?si=RT20MYu6sCzPwGn1. --Kevin

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  4. Servus! I haven't broken a shoelace in over a decade. A lot of this is the fact that I have replaced many of my laces with "stretchy laces" or lengths of 550 cord (mostly for my hiking boots).

    My theory is similar to the first comment, in which I think that the materials have improved significantly, particularly with the addition of synthetic fibres to the laces.

    As always, I may be completely wrong.
    Jake

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