I’ve mentioned numerous times before the awesome running group I’m in. It’s a pretty large group of about 80 or so regulars–not all run on the same meet up days, but cumulatively, that’s about the average people active in our group.
Anyway, I’m pretty good friends with everyone but not many know I blog. (It’s one those things you just don’t announce, you know? lol!) A couple of months ago, a friend in the group, Mark, who does know I blog, told me about a product a friend of his had designed.
It’s a shoe lace but not your normal shoe lace.
He showed them to me as he had them on as we spoke and they did indeed look very interesting. No loose strings? No bunny ears?
My curiosity was piqued.
His buddy Jason, the designer/inventor, hooked me up with a pair and told me to give ’em a shot. He even was nice enough to show me how to lace them! (The product comes with instructions and there is a very helpful video on the website as well.)
As he taught me how to lace them properly, he gave me a little background on his product. Jason is a triathlete and in preparation for a 70.3 Ironman a while back, he found that he was losing precious seconds tying his shoes getting off the bike. Lo and behold, inspiration for Slick Laces was born!
He knew other products like it existed but what he wanted–and what he created–was a no-tie lace that can be reused. Similar products are sold for a one-time, one-shoe use but not Slick Laces. End of the road for your current shoes? No problem, transfer the laces to your new pair.
Big, big plus.
Questions I had:
**Will my shoe be loose or become loose after taking it off and on?
The answer was no. When you first lace up the shoe, you decide how tight you want it (not crazy tight because you need to put it on) but you can still create a snug feel because the laces expand. They expand but they DO NOT become loose-er as you wear them. The Snap Disc (the pink part on my laces) prevents that from happening. I’ve taken them out for a few miles already and they’re just as snug as the first time I put them on.
**What do I do with the excess lace?
Do not cut. Cutting prevents you from being able to re-use the lace as the length my differ in your next shoe. Cutting will also cause the lace to fray. Instead, it is recommended you tuck the excess lace underneath the crossing of your shoe.
I do not feel the excess lace at all when I have the shoe on. I also don’t think there’d be a crazy amount left over for it to be an issue.
**What if I tie my laces in an unorthodox way?”
Doesn’t matter. You can tie your Slick Laces any way you want.
The Rundown:
Likes
–The big one: It can be used with any shoe even after your old pair are done for. (Yes, I do like to save money đ )
–Easy installation. The instructions on the back are thorough and the company does a good job of detailing further in its video online.
–No more worrying about your laces coming untied. The worst is when you’re mid-race and have to stop to tie your shoe. Then you of course have to tie the other to make sure both are equally tight, right? Not a problem with Slick Laces.
–For the triathlete, when you’re transitioning from bike to run, all you gotta do is slip on your shoe.
–I tie my shoes the good ‘ol fashion way but have friends who do it differently. They’re not singled out with this product.
–Not just for runners. Slick Laces would be great for my kids as they begin to transition into big boy/girl shoes (kid lengths available) and for my grandma who is over having to bend down and tie her shoes (love you, Nana!).
Dislikes
–Not at a lot of color options for the Snap Disc at the moment (hello, where’s purple?!) but they have the basics down.
–Currently, laces only come in black.
This isn’t a dislike but just a head’s up: it does take more than a minute to lace the first time, but once you do, you don’t have to worry about anything ever again. Just slip on and go! đ
Before and after! đ
Jason was sweet enough to gift me another pair to give to ONE OF YOU!!! You’ll get to choose the color of the Disc so check out their website!
To enter, all you have to do is click on the Rafflecopter giveaway link below — A winner will be announced on Monday, back-to-school/work day for Helly đ (Giveaway is for readers in the United States only.)
If you’re interested in Slick Laces but don’t wanna wait to see if you win, check out their website and treat yourself to some extra free time. đ
I was provided with a pair of Slick Laces to review but as always, opinions expressed on my blog are honest and my own.
–Have you ever had to tie your shoe(s) mid-race?
–Were you taught to tie your shoes using Bunny Ears?
Linking with Smitha and Erica for the Wednesday Giveaway Roundup!! Thanks gals!!
