It’s kind of interesting to see that it needs a TED talk to spread this… I’ve had the same problem with some shoelaces untying themselves. I’ll definitely give this a try.

Still – TED is the last place where I would have expected to come across this…

Maybe they should invite Ian next time:

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/slipping.htm

I found Ian’s site a few year’s ago. I too had been tying the strong version of the simple shoelace knot, but certain laces, especially waxed laces, still came undone too many times, no matter how tight the knot. Somehow, I found out that sailors had a way of tying their shoelaces so as to virtually ensure against coming undone, which led me to Ian’s Shoelace Site http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/slipping.htm where a world of marlinspike for shoes opened to me. What Terry Moore seems to describe is the difference between the “granny” version of the simple shoelace knot and the more effective method of the “bunny round the tree” knot which most of us grew up with.

If you want to eliminate the hassles of shoelaces, you need to check out Wonder Laces. They are this new shoelaces that ties like a regular shoelace, but that has amazing knot strength. My shoes never come untied. I’m a runner and a triathlete, but I’ve put them on all my shoes, because they are also more comfortable and they let me slide my shoes on and off without retying. I found them on the infomercial site: http://www.asseenontv.com.

Another alternative that may work either with the square knot version or the granny knot version. When you push the second loop through the hole, pull some through, flip it over the top, and push it through the hole a second time before pulling it tight. It unties just as easy as the other version but I’ve never had it come undone.