once the argument about cycling hand signals is over can we start a new one over shoe laces vs velcro?

(disclaimer: my shoes have both)

I have a pair of Giro MTB shoes that I bought at Performance Bike for use with my work commuter. They have laces, but include a velcro strap whose purpose is to tidy-up and hold your tied laces close to the shoe body.

One on-line reviewer of the shoe had complained that the velcro strap wasn't substantial enough to hold his foot, and that he had torn it. I wanted to explain that the strap wasn't intended to be part of the foot retention, but only as a shoelace retainer. Some people are just...ugh.

Someone who is particular about overall shoe tightness might prefer laces. However, a good velcro strap system might be better for a tight and loose setup.

That said, I haven't used laced road shoes, other than the Avocet style, on my road bike. I've used velcro road shoes for decades and like the tight/loose variability especially loose in the toe box and tighter around the ankle.

I use laced hiking shoes with my mountain bikes that have platform pedals; also on my town bike.

Another rapidly diminishing, or already diminished, area has to do with clipless or toe clips/straps when it comes to laces vs. velcro. For people living in the past and still using toe clips and straps, I think there is a preference for laced shoes for easy removal. Since I've only used velcro road shoes with toe clips/straps I have not found it to be an issue.

John

All of my shoes and boots have laces. I don't own any footwear with velcro.

Don't leave Boas out of the conversation - what are we, plebes?!

I do really want a pair of Lake CX1 - if they were to bring them back in the Ronald McDonald red (or at least white with red zig-zag), I'd be all over 'em. Still might pick up a white/black variant with the proper sale incentive.

lol mine too, a real head scratcher & a bit annoying

Velcro and ratchet straps for me. I am looking into some cycling shoes with laces so I can use the Dyna Drive pedals on my 1982 Lotus as originally intended.

Boa ftw

Velco, haha.

My first ever pair of bike shoes were some Giant branded combo velcro and ratchet strap. They did not age well. The velcro was nearly worthless other than "the shoe is on your foot" or "not on your foot" and the ratchet was just uncomfortable.

I own a pair of lower end Fizik shoes with the single Boa and then a weird velcro piece near the toe box. That velcro piece literally feels like it does nothing for tightening or retention.

All my Giro lace pairs of shoes? Feel the most secure. Just over-tighten while your feet are larger before blood starts circulating while riding, then they're just right. I have the SLX, some ACC's, and the VR90's.

If I went Boa again it would be a double Boa setup. The single Boa on the Fiziks pinch the top of my foot a bit it feels like.

Velcro is for triathletes that don't know to replace laces with "speed laces" in their bike shoes.

I tuck my laces into my shoe(s).

I'm currently using New Balance half boot lace ups. I just let the laces hang where ever they land. It hasn't been a problem for the Gates belt.

The Sidis I recently bought have 'high security velcro", which is basically velcro with plastic thingies on both sides that keep the velcro from slipping. It works, but I think the ratchet strap is doing the lion's share of the work.

I had a pair of lace-up shoes once, and even though I had tucked the laces into the shoe, they came out and got caught in between the chain and chainring. That resulted in pulling the lace until my shoe was extremely tight, and ripping the lace to shreds. Now I won't ride a pair of lace-up shoes unless they have a velcro strap or cover for the laces.

Laces.

"Wait, you can't adjust them on the bike."

Those people must not know how to perform the finger/thumb insertion/yank. It works on all types/brands of shoes with laces.

I also tucked the lace ends into the shoe until one day my left shoe came untied and the lace wrapped around the pedal hub, with the result that the shoe tightened around my foot and became locked onto the pedal by the lace. I managed to stop OK and spent some time working the shoe loose enough to get my foot out while tied to the bike by one foot. The laces are considerably shorter now.

Remember Carnac shoes? Made from Kangaroo leather. I loved the LeMond model. Laces with a Velcro strap across them. My understanding is that LeMond would only license his name for the shoe it is had laces.

Current touring/commuting shoes have laces. Road shoes are Sidi with the closure pictured above.

My previous Pearl Izumi X-alps something or other have thin cord that slides real easily through the eyelets and a clip you had to release to adjust the tension. Two handed though unless you just wanted to relieve the tension. Any way it worked great I didn't have to pull on the laces at each eyelet to even out the feel when I tightened or loosened them.

Just bought a pair of Sidi MTB Gravel shoes and they really comfortable. Haven't done a long ride with them yet but maybe tomorrow if it doesn't rain all morning like today. They have a single BOA and very easy to both loosen and tighten with one hand. Even while on the bike and moving. The monofilament or whatever the BOA is just slips easily through the eyelets and just flexing your toes or instep evens things out even more.


https://www.sidi.com/en/mtb/400-mtb-gravel.html


As for velcro fasteners, never liked them on a shoe. I had some walking shoes with them once. Maybe the previous century. Maybe they were bad shoes altogether and that's why I'm so down on velcro for shoes.

For me the BOA is worth every additional penny.

Try not to let your shoelace get caught between the chain and chainring.

I've had laces before going clipless (which was a recent conversion a few years ago).

I found the laces on casual shoes always a pain that they inevitably got tangled in the pedals. Although, perhaps that was an issue with rat traps, longer laces, and casual shoes which wouldn't be as big of an issue with clipless.

Nonetheless, most everything now has velcro, or velcro + ratchets. I do have a couple of boas, but don't really like them.

Were they Magnificent?

I hadn't thought of this till now. ($40+ years) Memories flooding back.
If you have long laces, You could wrap them around the bottom of your shoes once before you tie them like we did with our baseball cleats WBITD.

It has been along time since I had the same experience. My current bicycle uses a belt and I am using pedals with my feet further forward. I tie my half boots up tight and the laces don't come near the belt.

Does the ratchet strap near the top with 2 Velcro straps below count as Velcro or are we being Velcro purists here? I have a pair of shoes with laces and rather enjoy wearing them, I have needed to pull over and make adjustments from time to time. I must confess I prefer the BOA dials better.

I have 5 with BOA’s
i have 2 pairs of Shimano sandals with velcro
I have 1 with the ratchet strap Velcro combo
I have 2 with laces
I signal right turns with my left hand.
oh and I wax my chain.

[QUOTE=WhyFi;22167855]Don't leave Boas out of the conversation - what are we, plebes?! /QUOTE]

I own one pair of riding shoes with Boa closures, and I will go out of my way to avoid buying them again. The shoes are three years old, probably get used about 6000 miles per year, and I have replaced the Boa dials (I think) four times; the last two sets of Boa dials lasted less than a few months each before one or the other stopped unspooling (to get out of the shoes). Junk. Even though Boa will send free replacements, at some point it is just too much hassle.

My Shimano road shoes, on the other hand, have three velcro straps, which still work fine -- I have two identical pairs, both about 16 years old -- between them, they probably have 65k miles...And the straps all work just fine.

Sounds like you've had some horrible luck or there was some particular usage niggle that caused them to fail; I've never had a failure and they're far too popular for your experience to be the norm.