Honestly, figuring out how to put shoe laces on New Balance kicks shouldn’t be rocket science. Yet, I’ve seen people fumble with it for ages, making it look harder than it is. I remember a friend showing up to a party with one shoe laced and the other dangling its aglets like a sad, defeated worm. He’d spent nearly twenty minutes trying to get them through the eyelets, muttering curses I wouldn’t repeat in polite company.
It’s not complicated, but there are definitely ways to make it smoother, especially if you’re dealing with particular styles or just want to make sure you’re not wasting your Saturday morning wrestling with nylon. We’re talking about getting your feet into those fresh sneakers and out the door, not building a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower.
Getting it right means your shoes feel right and look good. That’s it. No fancy techniques needed, just a bit of common sense and knowing what *not* to do.
The Lacing Basics for Your New Balance
Let’s get this straight. Most New Balance shoes come pre-laced, right? So, you’re usually only doing this for the first time when you unbox them, or if you’ve messed them up, or want to try a different lacing pattern. The standard criss-cross, often called the ‘bar lacing’ or ‘straight lacing’ if you do it a certain way, is what you’ll see most often. It’s simple, functional, and frankly, perfectly fine for 90% of people. You take one lace end and go straight across to the opposite eyelet on the other side, then tuck it under the next horizontal lace. Repeat with the other end. Easy peasy. But here’s where it gets annoying: sometimes the eyelets are tight, or the laces themselves are stiff and just don’t want to slide. I’ve spent close to fifteen minutes wrestling with a new pair of suede 574s because the laces felt like they were made of coated wire. Just keep a little tension but don’t yank it so hard you risk tearing anything.
Seriously, don’t overthink it.
The key is consistency. If you’re going for the classic criss-cross, make sure each side is symmetrical. When you pull the laces through, try to keep the tension even on both sides. If one side is super tight and the other is loose, it looks sloppy and can even affect how the shoe fits. Imagine trying to tie a knot with one hand much tighter than the other – it just doesn’t feel right. This is where that feeling of “is this right?” creeps in for a lot of people. You don’t want one side of your shoe bulging while the other is hugging your foot like a long-lost relative.
[IMAGE: Close-up of a hand lacing a New Balance sneaker with the classic criss-cross pattern, showing the lace going through the eyelets.]
When Standard Lacing Just Isn’t Cutting It
Sometimes, the stock lacing just feels… wrong. Maybe it’s too tight across the top of your foot, creating pressure points that feel like a tiny gnome is tapping your bones with a tiny hammer. Or perhaps you’ve got wider feet and the standard weave just pulls the sides of the shoe in too much, making them look pinched. That’s when you start looking at alternatives. I remember seeing a guy at the mall with these epic, flat laces that looked like they were made of polished leather, woven through his sneakers in a way that looked like a work of art. He’d clearly spent time on it. He explained he used something called ‘ladder lacing’ because his instep was so high, and the standard criss-cross was just agony after an hour.
It’s not about looking like a fashionista (though, hey, if that’s your jam, go for it). It’s about comfort and fit. For instance, some people swear by ‘straight bar lacing’ if they have wide feet because it keeps the laces parallel across the top, reducing pressure. Others prefer the ‘ladder lacing’ for a more secure, locked-in feel, almost like a custom fit. I tried the ladder lacing on a pair of running shoes once, just to see, and while it looked pretty neat, it took me about twenty minutes and I swear I felt my finger muscles screaming by the end. For New Balance casual shoes, it’s usually overkill, but for performance models or if you have specific foot issues, it’s worth exploring. (See Also: How To Tie Laces On Military Boots)
The trick with any alternative lacing is to experiment. What works for one person’s feet, or one style of shoe, might be a total flop for another. I once spent $40 on a set of neon green, extra-long laces specifically for a ‘satisfying lacing’ video I was trying to film, only to find out they were too thick for the eyelets on my favorite grey New Balance runners, making them look like they were wearing oversized socks. Utter waste of money and time.
[IMAGE: A New Balance shoe with a ‘ladder lacing’ pattern, showing parallel horizontal laces.]
The ‘i Just Want It Done’ Method
Look, not everyone wants to get into the weeds of lacing techniques. If you’re just trying to get your new New Balance shoes ready to wear and don’t want to spend more than five minutes, here’s the deal. Most shoes come with a basic criss-cross. If yours don’t, just do that. Start from the bottom eyelets. Feed one lace end through the bottom left eyelet, then the other through the bottom right eyelet. Now, take the left lace and feed it through the second eyelet on the right side. Take the right lace and feed it through the second eyelet on the left side. Keep going, alternating sides, so the laces go straight across under the tongue. It should look like a series of ‘X’s.
The trick here is to pull them through so the laces are roughly the same length on both sides. Don’t worry about perfect tension yet. Just get them through all the eyelets. Once both laces are out the top, you can then go back and adjust the tension, working from the bottom up. Pull a little on the bottom left, then the bottom right, then the next set up, and so on. This helps distribute the snugness evenly. It’s like tuning a guitar – you adjust each string gradually until the whole thing sounds right. If one side feels noticeably looser or tighter than the other, gently tug the lace on the tighter side to loosen it, or tug the looser lace to tighten it.
Here’s a common mistake people make: they lace one shoe completely, then start the other from scratch, often forgetting the tension from the first shoe. My advice? Lace both shoes up to the penultimate eyelet, then pull them taut together. This way, you can see if they’re matching up. You might feel a slight resistance from the eyelets, like pushing a slightly damp sponge through a narrow opening. That’s normal. Just don’t force it to the point where you hear a tearing sound, because that’s not normal.
[IMAGE: A pair of New Balance sneakers side-by-side, both laced with the basic criss-cross pattern, showing even tension.]
Common Lacing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
A lot of advice out there tells you to ‘make sure they’re perfectly even’. What does that even mean? It’s subjective. The real issue isn’t perfect symmetry; it’s discomfort. If you’re feeling hot spots on the top of your foot, or the sides of the shoe are digging in, your lacing is likely wrong *for you*. I spent years thinking I just had ‘wide feet’ and needed to buy bigger shoes, only to realize I was just lacing them like an idiot. The American Podiatric Medical Association doesn’t have a specific stance on shoe lacing patterns, but they do emphasize proper shoe fit and support, which is directly impacted by how you lace them. (See Also: How To Tie Sperry Duck Boots Laces)
Mistake 1: Too Tight Overall. This is a classic. You think tighter equals better fit. Wrong. It cuts off circulation, makes your feet swell faster, and just generally feels like torture. You want a snug fit, not a vice grip. Think of how a comfortable handshake feels – firm, but not crushing.
Mistake 2: Inconsistent Tension. As mentioned, one side tight, one side loose. This leads to uneven pressure and makes the shoe feel like it’s twisting on your foot. Imagine wearing one glove that’s super tight and the other loose; it’s just awkward.
Mistake 3: Ignoring the Material. Stiff, new laces can be a nightmare. Trying to force them through tight eyelets can damage both the lace and the shoe. Sometimes, just bending the laces back and forth for a minute or two, like you’re trying to soften a piece of leather, makes a huge difference. They become more pliable, easier to thread. It’s like pre-bending a metal rod before you try to shape it.
Mistake 4: Using the Wrong Laces. Too thick, too thin, too short, too long. If your laces are constantly coming undone, or they look like they’re about to snap, or they’re so thick they’re stretching the eyelets, they’re the wrong ones. For most New Balance lifestyle shoes, standard flat cotton or polyester laces, around 45-54 inches depending on the shoe model and number of eyelets, are usually a safe bet. Avoid those super waxy or super slippery ones unless you know what you’re doing.
[IMAGE: A pair of New Balance shoes with one showing too-tight lacing and pressure marks, the other showing a comfortable, even lacing.]
My Epic Lacing Fail and What I Learned
So, I bought this pair of limited-edition New Balance 990s. They were beautiful. Deep navy suede, creamy white sole, the whole nine yards. They came with these thick, flat, wax-coated laces that looked incredibly premium. I was so excited. I started lacing them up, and every time I pulled the lace through an eyelet, it felt like I was trying to push a greased pig through a garden hose. The wax was coming off in clumps, the laces were snagging, and I could feel the eyelets starting to stretch. After about my tenth attempt on the first shoe, I threw the laces across the room in disgust. They landed with a pathetic little thud, like a deflated balloon.
I’d spent a small fortune on these shoes, and I was defeated by the laces. I ended up digging through my junk drawer and finding some old, generic black round laces from a pair of boots I hadn’t worn in years. They looked completely wrong, but at least they went through the eyelets without a fight. The point is, sometimes the fancy additions are the biggest pain in the backside. The original laces looked amazing, but they were completely impractical for the shoe’s construction. It taught me a valuable lesson: marketing hype doesn’t always translate to real-world usability. The aesthetics might be killer, but if they make the basic act of putting on your shoes an ordeal, they’re a failure in my book. I ended up buying a set of high-quality, flat, un-waxed navy laces for about $12, and *that* made the shoes perfect. It’s like trying to use a chef’s knife to spread butter; it’s the wrong tool for the job, no matter how fancy it looks. (See Also: How To Tie Laces On Desert Boots)
[IMAGE: A pile of discarded, clumpy wax-coated New Balance laces next to a pair of beautiful but poorly-laced navy suede New Balance shoes.]
A Lacing Table: What Works and What Doesn’t
This isn’t gospel, but it’s my take after years of wearing and messing with different sneakers, including plenty of New Balance models.
| Lacing Style | Pros | Cons | My Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Criss-Cross (Standard) | Fast, easy, familiar. Works for most people. | Can create pressure points on the top of the foot for some. | The everyday go-to. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. |
| Straight Bar Lacing | Even pressure across the top, good for wide feet or high insteps. Looks clean. | Can be fiddly to get even tension. Might make the shoe feel less secure laterally. | Solid choice for comfort if standard lacing causes pain. |
| Ladder Lacing | Very secure, looks cool if done right. Good for preventing slippage. | Time-consuming, can be too restrictive for casual wear. Can make eyelets bulge. | Overkill for most daily wear. Better for performance or specific needs. |
| Sawtooth Lacing | Quick and easy, looks different. Good for quickly adjusting tightness. | Can look messy if not done neatly. Less secure than other methods. | A decent alternative if you’re bored with criss-cross. |
Frequently Asked Questions About New Balance Laces
Can I Use Different Types of Laces on My New Balance Shoes?
Absolutely. The great thing about sneakers is their customization. You can swap out the original laces for ones that are a different color, material, or thickness. Just make sure they’re the right length for your shoe – too short and they won’t tie, too long and they’ll drag. For most standard New Balance models with 6-8 eyelets, laces between 45 and 54 inches are usually good. Flat laces tend to work well for most casual styles.
How Do I Make My Shoe Laces Stay Tied?
This is surprisingly common! If your laces keep coming undone, you might be tying a ‘granny knot’ instead of a ‘reef knot’ (or ‘square knot’). When you do the final tie-off after the initial bow, make sure the loops are going in opposite directions. Also, slippery laces, like some waxed ones or synthetic materials, are prone to this. A double knot will always work, but it looks bulky. Sometimes, switching to a different lace material, like a cotton lace with a bit more texture, solves the problem without needing a double knot.
My New Balance Laces Are Too Short, What Should I Do?
Don’t just stretch them. If your laces are too short to tie a proper knot, they’re genuinely the wrong length. For most casual New Balance shoes with 6-8 eyelets, you’ll want laces in the 45-54 inch range. If your shoes have more eyelets (like some basketball or hiking models), you might need 60-72 inches. You can usually find lace length guides online by searching for ‘how to measure shoe lace length’ or by looking at the recommended lace length for your specific New Balance model.
Is There a ‘best’ Way to Put Shoe Laces on New Balance?
The ‘best’ way is the one that feels most comfortable and secure for *your* feet and *your* activity. For most people wearing casual New Balance sneakers, the standard criss-cross lacing is perfectly adequate and the quickest way to get your shoes on. If you experience discomfort, pressure points, or slippage, then exploring alternative lacing patterns or even different lace types might be necessary. It’s entirely personal preference and dictated by foot shape and shoe design.
[IMAGE: A detailed infographic showing how to tie a reef knot versus a granny knot for shoelaces.]
Verdict
So, there you have it. Learning how to put shoe laces on New Balance isn’t some arcane art form. It’s about getting them on your feet comfortably and securely so you can actually wear the shoes you bought.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. If the standard criss-cross feels off, try something else. That weirdly stiff, super-waxed lace that came with your premium pair? Toss it if it’s a pain. Your feet will thank you, and you’ll save yourself a lot of frustration.
Seriously, just try tying them again. Make sure the tension feels right on both sides, and if it still feels wrong, maybe grab a different pair of laces from your collection. The goal is footwear that fits, not a lacing competition.
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