Ian's Shoelace Site – Segmented Lacing

Using two shoelaces per shoe splits the lacing into two segments, each of which can be laced up as tightly or loosely as required for comfort.

Eight pairs of eyelets

Pairs

8

7

6

5

4

Flip

⇄

Lacing diagram Copyright (c) 2023 by Ian Fieggen

Step

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Lacing Technique

• Begin with two shoelaces, each about half the length of the original shoelaces.

• Using the first shoelace, begin straight across on the inside (grey section) and out through the bottom eyelets.

• At each eyelet pair, cross the ends, feeding under the sides and out through the next higher set of eyelets. Repeat until about the middle of the shoe.

• Starting from the next higher set of eyelets, the second shoelace is similarly laced to the top of the shoe.

• Each “segment” is then tightened to suit your preference and knotted separately.

Features

Customizable

Many uses

Messy look

“Lengthens” ends

Notes

• This page shows two segments, divided fairly equally, each laced with Criss Cross Lacing. You may instead use different sized segments, different lacing methods – even different colored shoelaces on each segment to create a bi-color lacing (as seen in the gallery below).

• Also referred to as “Zoned Lacing”.

Segmented Lacing Gallery

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More photos of Segmented Lacing

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Shoelace Lengths for Segmented Lacing

NOTE: Each segment calculated separately
Pairs of eyelets	Approximate length needed
8 pairs	133 cm	53 in
7 pairs	123 cm	48 in
6 pairs	112 cm	44 in
5 pairs	102 cm	40 in
4 pairs	91 cm	36 in
3 pairs	81 cm	32 in
2 pairs	70 cm	28 in

NOTE: These are approximate shoelace lengths for using this lacing on an average sized sneaker. For more accurate lengths, use the Shoelace Length Calculator.

Comparative Length

• MUCH shorter shoelaces needed for each segment than those for the whole shoe.

• If the original shoelaces are re-used, this method effectively lengthens the ends substantially.

The significant length difference is due to each segment running through maybe half of the shoe's total number of eyelets, resulting in a lot of leftover length.

More details about length comparisons.

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