Straight European

Never too old to learn. I thought there was one way to lace a shoe and one way to tie the bow. These are the way my Mom and Dad taught me. So when I bought these shoes a while back I noticed they were not laced correctly. I asked the sales person about it and he said it's a European lace pattern.

A little web search provides the answer . . . and then some. Check out www.fieggen.com/shoelace!! The web owner, Ian, has the worlds best site with more info than I ever thought possible. This guy knows his laces, and my lacing pattern is the Straight European.

I found that the performance of the new (to me) lacing pattern is different than my traditional way. The bow sits lower over the tongue so it's protected more from things that can undue it, so it's more durable. It's also harder to untie, so it's a mixed blessing. The crossover on top does have a nice look that grows on you. That's why, after I replaced the old laces, I kept the Straight European. I'll be back on Ian's site, too, to play with some other methods. So much to learn on something I thought I know?