Source for 100% cotton laces?

[lutefisk]

I'm looking for a source of 100% cotton laces, black, 120 inches long.  Most of what I've seen for sale both at rink Pro shops and on the internet seem to be cotton/poly blends.  I'm having trouble with my laces loosening after about 30 minutes and have done the following:

I tried waxing the original laces which came with my Jackson Freestyle boots.  Didn't work.

I've replaced the Jackson boot inserts with "Super Feet" yellow inserts.  No difference.

I've tried different combinations of my wife's trouser socks alone or with doubling up with another pair of socks (in the hope of reducing the  space).  Didn't change things.

I've tried skating with and without the silpos gel tubes I wear to prevent lace bite.  No difference.

I've had the boots reheated/remolded at the Pro shop and fitted hotwith just trouser socks in an attempt for a tighter fit.

And finally, I swapped out the old, original laces for Riedell laces (which I think are a blend) that are locally available. 

While the loosening problem is still with me, it seems to be a little less after remolding and swapping out the laces.  The last thing I'll do before tossing the boots and starting over is to see if 100% cotton laces will give me the consistent fit that I'm looking for.  When I do get these boots laced just right they are wonderful, so  I think it can be done.  I think it's a matter of getting the slack out of the laces, and 30 minutes seems to be the time required to stretch them.  Of course the 30 minute mark is when my legs are warmed up and starting to work!  After coming off the ice and getting rid of the slack, the difference in blade feel between skating when the laces are a tiny bit slack and when they are perfect is like the difference between driving a dump truck vs a sports car. I have to perimeter stroke a couple laps just to acclimate to the renewed hair trigger feel of the blades without slop.  I want that sports car blade feel all the time!

[rachelplotkin]

Have you tried Katz straps?  Here is the web site:  http://www.katstrapz.com/

[hopskipjump]

Is it your lacing technique?

Are you tying before using the hooks and then after using the hooks putting the loops on the hooks and tying again? 

[hopskipjump]

These are listed as graf cotton laces: http://www.amazon.com/Graf-White-Cotton-Referee-Length/dp/B0069QXC9U

[lutefisk]

Yes, I used Katz straps when the boots were brand new.   Don't use them now.  And I do tie a surgeon's knot after the last crossing of the laces just below the hooks.  I've tried going under the hooks and I've tried going over top of the hooks and I've tried hooking and then tying a knot at each hook pair.  In terms of lacing pattern, I've decided that the conventional way, i.e., pulling tight at each cross, tying a knot after the last cris-cross and then hooking under the hooks gives me the best lace snugness.  I may order a pair of the white cotton laces to see if they make a difference.  I suppose I could always dye them black if the vendor can't supply black laces.  Thanks for the input.

[nicklaszlo]

I'm looking for a source of 100% cotton laces, black, 120 inches long.

I have been trying to get some for a long time, with no luck.  Thus far the Jackson stock laces are the best.  Braidlace blend laces feel good, but they ripped out an eyelet because they're too thin.

I'm having trouble with my laces loosening after about 30 minutes

Is it your laces or is it your boot or foot changing shape?  Needing to retie laces is a common annoyance; usually I retie after 5 minutes skating.

[lutefisk]

The replacement Riedell replacement laces I bought at the Bowie Ice Arena (Bowie, MD) seem a little thicker and seem to  hold a tad better than the stock Jackson laces which came with the boots.  I still notice that the laces and boots expand slightly after I pull a given lace cross and then move up to pull the next crossing--most annoying!

I don't know if the boots or my feet change all that much during skating.  Since my left skate is the worst offender I'm tempted to think that foot is slightly smaller than my right one.  I may start showing up at the rink early enough to lace up the boots and then walk around for 5 or 10 minutes and then retie them prior to skating.  I don't mind so much coming off-ice during a crowded public to futz with laces but having the skates go "off song" in the middle of a lesson, or during an over priced free style session or during power stroking class adds up to wasted time/money/opportunity!

[icedancer]

The Reidell laces used to be all cotton - I know what you mean about the laces - I love the cotton laces myself for the same reasons you give.

It is not your technique. 

Good luck on this - I am curious now because if I ever need laces I do prefer cotton - used them to shore up an old pair of boots that I loved for YEARS!

[VAsk8r]

I have this issue too. I don't think starting over with new boots will do you much good. I'm on my 5th pair of skates now, and the only ones I didn't have the issue with were the recreational skates I first skated in, which had velcro across the top, and those aren't an option anymore  .

I wonder if it is us and not the skates. I have the same issue with running shoes, and when I bought new ones the guys helping me at the store remarked that I liked my shoes unusually tight. I think I'm just less tolerant of skates that have become slightly loose at the top than the average skater. My coach has watched me skate in both freshly-laced and uncomfortably loose skates, and she doesn't think the slightly looser fit is affecting my skating or safety.

[lutefisk]

VAsk8r:  Thanks for the input.  I also like my skates tight.  I'm going to try an experiment: I'll arrive at the rink 10 to 15 minutes early, lace up and then walk around with blade guards on for that period of time and then readjust the lace tension before going out on the ice.  Maybe this is something to due with the boots stretching as my feet warm them up and in turn stretching the laces.  Others at my rink also seem to have this phenom as well.

[taka]

VAsk8r:  Thanks for the input.  I also like my skates tight.  I'm going to try an experiment: I'll arrive at the rink 10 to 15 minutes early, lace up and then walk around with blade guards on for that period of time and then readjust the lace tension before going out on the ice.  Maybe this is something to due with the boots stretching as my feet warm them up and in turn stretching the laces.  Others at my rink also seem to have this phenom as well.

It is partly the padding and partly evening out my lacing a little over my instep I think - it takes ~10 minutes for my feet to warm my boots up. I do my on ice warm up and make sure I do things with deepish knee bend then tighten my boots up or otherwise they feel too loose. I can still skate if I don't retie but my heel doesn't feel quite far back enough and I struggle to have quite as much control especially with my right foot. For testing etc I wear them for 10-15mins off ice doing squats, lunges and stretches etc before retieing.

[lutefisk]

Thanks taka.  I think we're on the same wave length.  I never had this problem with my old (pre-moldable generation leather boots) Riedell Gold Stars.  I just had blisters instead--not sure which is worse!

[sk8great]

how much time does it take to "break in" laces?

[treesprite]

I may start showing up at the rink early enough to lace up the boots and then walk around for 5 or 10 minutes and then retie them prior to skating.

I always walk around a little after tying my skates, and 9 times out of ten end up deciding to re-tie either 1 or both of them. Then I walk around a bit again, and about 30% of the time re-tie at least one of them on that second round.

This also gets the boots warmed up - boots are bigger when they are warmed up - so doing the above type of process gets the "loosening due to warming up" dealt with before actually getting on the ice & involved in practice or lessons.

[Brantill]

Well its very informative page and the member need to carry on this this nice information .

[lutefisk]

Here's my update on this subject:  I'm still looking for 100% cotton laces but in the meantime I've switched from ultra thin trouser socks to a thin sock which is a little bit heavier.  Think the gauge of thick tights.  As a consequence I've been able to eliminate both the ankle sleeves with the gel disks I wore to protect my ankle bones and also the gel tubes which I wore to keep the tops of the boots from biting the backs and sides of my legs.  Eliminating those two items permits me to more tightly lace my boots because there's a lot less material to squish down which probably aids by removing a variable or two from the lacing equation.  Additionally, I do a preliminary lace up and then walk around in the lobby and do some squats.  Then I untie the laces and retie the boots a second time.  I always have more lace at the top of the boots the second time around.  Enough to permit me to tie a double bow knot, which I can rarely do the during the first lacing attempt.  If I do the walk around thing and retie the boots before going out on the ice I find that I can go much longer before I have to retie my boots later in the session--sometimes to the end of a two hour public.

[Robin]

Yes, I used Katz straps when the boots were brand new.   Don't use them now.  And I do tie a surgeon's knot after the last crossing of the laces just below the hooks.  I've tried going under the hooks and I've tried going over top of the hooks and I've tried hooking and then tying a knot at each hook pair.  In terms of lacing pattern, I've decided that the conventional way, i.e., pulling tight at each cross, tying a knot after the last cris-cross and then hooking under the hooks gives me the best lace snugness.  I may order a pair of the white cotton laces to see if they make a difference.  I suppose I could always dye them black if the vendor can't supply black laces.  Thanks for the input.

Yeah, I had to dye white laces beige to go with my skates because they don't make beige cotton laces, either.

[Sk8tmum]

We got a huge supply of Klingbeil's laces in black at one point. Wore like iron. I believe they were all cotton. And in the length you mention too. Perhaps they could be a source?

[lutefisk]

I'll check their web site.  I don't need a huge amount, just a few pair would do!  Thanks for the tip.

[rosereedy]

The laces I got from Klingbeil were not cotton.  They were a blend.

[FigureSpins]

The laces I got from Klingbeil were not cotton.  They were a blend.

Same here - I asked for all-cotton laces and Don said they couldn't find a supplier so they were using a cotton/poly blend now.  However, I could see them having black all-cotton leftover from the original supplier since I think they sell more white/tan skates than black. 

I'm thinking about Bill Klingbeil - he used to tsk over frayed skate lace tips and use a gadget to put on new aglets.
(Aglets are the bit of metal/plastic at the end of the lace that you thread through the eyelets.)
Another example of Klingbeil customer service at work.

Several years ago, a Rainbo Sports rep told me that they had all-cotton white laces in stock, but you had to contact them to order the laces because they weren't on their website.  That may not be true any longer, but it's worth a call/email.  You could also contact Dante-Cozzi Sports in NY; they've been in business a long time and might have some all-cotton laces in their storeroom/case.

[lutefisk]

Thanks for the suggestions, FigureSpins.

[4711]

I understand this is old....
but anyhow.

if you google Baumwoll Schnürsenkel you might find something from Europe, in case you are still looking. 

[lutefisk]

Thanks.  A brief look didn't reveal laces long enough (120" ~ 305cm) but I'll look again using this search term when I'm on my home computer.

[4711]

Oh INCHES....

darn.....but yeah, makes sense