Road shoes: laces

[SloAdventures]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy a new pair of cycling shoes.
Till now I have had 2 pairs of road shoes with S.L.W. 3 (Speed Lace Winch) - similar to boa. But both S.L.W. 3 broke / got stuck really quickly and I was pretty anoyed.
For a couple of years I've been looking at road shoes with laces.
What is your opinion about them? Should I try them or should I stick with / try (again) S.L.W. 3 or boa.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Elybazza61]

Have two pairs of Giro Empires, road and mtb/gravel and find them comfortable but it obviously takes longer to put on and you can't tighten them on the go.

Haven't had to replace any laces yet and both came with spares.

 

[Sharky]

I've had laces, ratchet ones and ones with velcro straps. All have been good, but the velcro ones, seems to lose their grip after a while, so no longer my preferred.

On my ordinary, non cycling trainers, I've replaced the normal laces with "no tie, elastic" laces. I would imagine they would work with lace-up cycling shoes as well.

 

[T4tomo]

Hello,
I'm looking to buy a new pair of cycling shoes.
Till now I have had 2 pairs of road shoes with S.L.W. 3 (Speed Lace Winch) - similar to boa. But both S.L.W. 3 broke / got stuck really quickly and I was pretty anoyed.
For a couple of years I've been looking at road shoes with laces.
What is your opinion about them? Should I try them or should I stick with / try (again) S.L.W. 3 or boa.
Thanks in advance!

Laces have worked for years and year and years, so as long as you've learned to tie laces, I would give them go.

I have laces (Quoc Pham's for the record), I have never thought, "oh wow if only I could have got my shoes on 3 seconds quicker I'd have enjoyed my ride more....."

 

[C R]

On my ordinary, non cycling trainers, I've replaced the normal laces with "no tie, elastic" laces. I would imagine they would work with lace-up cycling shoes as well.

I've done that in my laced cycling shoes, and it works well. They have lost some elasticity over time, but after five years I don't mind renewing them. They cost me about £5.00 IIRC.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

My only pair of 3-bolt road shoes, now ~7 years old, are laces. DHB Dorika? I never saw the point of paying more some boa-cord shoes.

 

[fossyant]

Still got a mix of straps, ratchet straps and BOA. I do like BOA, and you have their guarantee for the 'laces' and dial.

 

[scotsbikester]

I use these - Exustar - SPD. I find them comfortable, and almost normal-looking enough to get away with if I cycle to work (though the padded bibs are a bit of a giveaway). They're comfortable, at least at lot more comfortable than the Five Ten flats I used when I was on flat pedals.

Lacing up is fine, but you need to get the free ends out of the way of the cranks. Otherwise they will catch in the chainring. Well, unless you've got some sort of chainguard, I guess. I use Lock Laces - cut the free ends so there's just enough to tuck under lace at the toe end. In fact Lock Laces are so good I actually install them on non cycling shoes - they're quicker, don't come undone, and I think the elasticity makes the shoe more comfortable.

 

[Elybazza61]

I use these - Exustar - SPD. I find them comfortable, and almost normal-looking enough to get away with if I cycle to work (though the padded bibs are a bit of a giveaway). They're comfortable, at least at lot more comfortable than the Five Ten flats I used when I was on flat pedals.

Lacing up is fine, but you need to get the free ends out of the way of the cranks. Otherwise they will catch in the chainring. Well, unless you've got some sort of chainguard, I guess. I use Lock Laces - cut the free ends so there's just enough to tuck under lace at the toe end. In fact Lock Laces are so good I actually install them on non cycling shoes - they're quicker, don't come undone, and I think the elasticity makes the shoe more comfortable.

The Giro Empires have a loop on the tongue to hold the laces in.

 

[oldandslow]

My current racing shoes are some Lake ones with laces. They do, I suppose, take a little longer to put on and take off. However, I find them fine. One reason for choosing them was that they accommodate my wide feet well.

To be fair, I ride club 10s without being overly concerned about my times, so top road racers might take a different view.