Ian Fieggen Ian's Shoelace Site Ian's Shoelace Knot
Ian's Shoelace Site - Bringing you the fun, fashion & science of shoelaces
Hiking Lacing / Biking Lacing
An inside-out version of Straight (Bar) Lacing, which distributes pressure evenly plus keeps the knots & ends to the side. For hiking / bushwalking, position the knots on the inside, away from snagging undergrowth. For biking / cycling, position them on the outside, away from chains & cranks.
Hiking / Biking Lacing diagram
Hiking / Biking Lacing picture 1
Hiking / Biking Lacing picture 2
David O. sent me this pic of his hiking boots with Hiking / Biking Lacing.
More Lacing Photos
Lacing Technique:
1. The lace is run straight across the bottom (grey section) and emerges through both bottom eyelets.

2. One end of the lace (yellow end) runs straight up the right side, is fed into and runs straight across the second set of eyelets.

3. Both ends now run straight up the left side, each skipping one eyelet before feeding in two eyelets higher up.

4. Continue running both ends across the shoe, then straight up two eyelets at a time.

5. At the top of the shoe, the laces end up on the same side and the shoelace knot is tied at that point.


Features:
Evens out pressure
Reduces snagging
Messy look

Comparative Length = 81%
Laced area uses less (about −19%)
Shorter laces needed (about −9%)
Lengthens lace ends (about +17%)
More details


NOTE:
This lacing is best suited to shoes with even numbers of eyelet pairs (eg. 6 pairs = 12 eyelets). The first picture at left shows one workaround to this limitation for use on shoes with odd numbers of eyelet pairs (eg. 7 pairs = 14 eyelets). See my Straight (Bar) Lacing page for some other workarounds.
Lacing for Hiking / Bushwalking Lacing for Hiking / Bushwalking Using This Lacing for Hiking / Bushwalking:
Lace one shoe as above and the other shoe in reverse, with both knots positioned towards the inside (between the ankles). This places the loops and loose ends further away from the outer sides of the shoes, making them less likely to become snagged in undergrowth whilst hiking / bushwalking.
Lacing for Biking / Cycling Lacing for Biking / Cycling Using This Lacing for Biking / Cycling:
Lace one shoe as above and the other shoe in reverse, with both knots positioned towards the outside. This places the loops and loose ends further away from the bicycle chain, cranks and other moving parts.
Which End to Start With?
The lacing starts across the bottom of the shoe (grey section), then one end runs vertically to the next higher eyelet. The question is: Which end?
2, 6, 10, 14 etc. eyelet pairs 4, 8, 12, 16 etc. eyelet pairs
Hiking / Biking Lacing for 6 eyelet pairs Start with the end that is diagonally opposite to where you want the knot to be. In this example with 6 pairs of eyelets, start at bottom-right to finish at top-left. Hiking / Biking Lacing for 8 eyelet pairs Start with the end that is on the same side as where you want the knot to be. In this example with 8 pairs of eyelets, start at bottom-left to finish at top-left.
Variations:
Hiking / Biking Lacing picture 3 For a neater look, the lacing can be done the same way as Straight (Bar) Lacing (instead of inside-out), with the horizontal sections on top and the vertical sections underneath, and with the only concept taken from Hiking / Biking Lacing being to finish off with the knots to the sides.

This picture, sent to me by Shawn D, shows some shoes laced this way, with the knots and loose ends positioned to the outside for cycling.


Recent Photos (sent by site visitors)
Black Vans sneakers with white trim and blue & black combination of Checkerboard Lacing and Over Under Lacing and Hiking / Biking Lacing - Click to enlarge Black Vans XL1s with white trim and white Hiking / Biking Lacing - Click to enlarge Black No Boundaries boots with black combination of Hiking / Biking Lacing and Riding Boot Lacing - Click to enlarge White Converse Chuck Taylors with patterned black trim and black Hiking / Biking Lacing - Click to enlarge Patterned black & white Converse All-Stars with white combination of Lattice Lacing and Hiking / Biking Lacing - Click to enlarge Black Converse All-Stars with black & white trim and white combination of Hiking / Biking Lacing and Riding Boot Lacing - Click to enlarge
Hover over any photo for details, or click to enlarge in the Shoe Lacing Photos page.


Rate This Lacing Method
5 stars (excellent) StarStarStarStarStar
Click button to submit rating & view results.
Or, Click Here to view results without rating this lacing method.
4 stars (good) StarStarStarStar
3 stars (average) StarStarStar
2 stars (bad) StarStar
1 star (awful) Star

Please only vote once - multiple votes are removed daily


Related Links
Lug Hiking Biking Lacing Lug Hiking Biking Lacing
Same lacing method for shoes with lugs instead of eyelets.
Hidden Knot Lacing Hidden Knot Lacing
Identical method done inside-out, which hides the knot on the inside.

Sponsored Links
Sponsor's ADs


This page last updated: 29-Jul-2010. Copyright © 2005-2010 by Ian W. Fieggen. All rights reserved.
Sponsored Links
Click to buy Mr. Lacy shoelaces
Shoelaces
Quality shoelaces in various styles and a huge range of fashion colors.
mr-lacy.com
Dr Martens Shoes & Dr Martens Boots from the UK's leading supplier
Dr Martens
Dr Martens Shoes & Dr Martens Boots from the UK's leading supplier.
shoesinternational.com