How To Lace Roller Skates For Beginners Wide And Flat Feet?

You may have chosen the right pair of roller skates according to your size and need, but you aren’t ready to ride if you don’t know how to lace up roller skates correctly. If you’re one of these, keep reading.

After having the right pair of skates, it’s also important to tie roller skates laces according to your comfort. If you don’t lace up roller skates properly, you’ll lose balance, compromise your safety, and make your ride uncomfortable.

This article has shared different techniques that help you learn how to lace roller skates even if you’re a beginner, a pro, and have wide or flat feet.

How To Lace Roller Skates

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to lace skates for wide feet with tips to ensure everything goes smoothly.

1. Choose The Right Lace

Before you move on to learn the best way to lace roller skates, make sure the laces you get with your roller skates are not slippery and of good quality material. Polyester or nylon is a good option.

If you’re using cotton laces or small-size laces under 72 inches (180cm) or regular shoe laces, they will not work properly on roller skates and will cause discomfort. Hence, if you’ve any of these things in your skate laces, replace them with a new one considering its quality and size.

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2. Make Sure The Laces Are Flat Not Twisted

Most beginners ignore whether the laces are flat or twisted when lacing up the laces on roller skates.

If you lace up roller skates with twisted laces, they will slip, stretch, and wear out ‌quickly. Hence, make sure the laces are always flat before you start riding.

3. Thread The Laces Through The Eyelets

Once you have the suitable laces, it’s time to thread them through the eyelets on your skates. Start by incorporating one lace through the bottom eyelet on one skate, and pull out the other end of laces from another side of the bottom eyelet. Repeat this process on another skate also.

4. Adjust For Same Length

Pull on both laces next to each other and make sure they are in the same length. If not, adjust them and make them so that you can lack up further with ease.

5. Start lacing To The Top

By pacing the laces through eyelets from left to right, get it to the top. Make sure while doing this the laces are not twisted, if they turn your fingers and make it flat.

6. Make A Zig Zag With laces

As you lace from bottom to top with one part of laces, similarly do with the second also in a zig zag form by passing it through leftover eyelets.

7. Adjust The Laces Again

Once you are done with zig zag form, try to adjust it again so that both ends of the laces come out with the same length. It helps you in lacing up properly with ease.

8. Finish With A Bow

Once you have both laces laced up all the way to the bottom, it’s time to finish off with a bow. Take one of the laces and make a loop, crossing the lace over itself to form an “X” shape. Then, take the other lace and thread it under the “X” shape, and pull up on both laces to tighten the bow. You can then trim off any excess lace, if necessary. And that’s it! You’ve now successfully laced up your roller skates.

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Additional Tips

If you’re feeling uncomfortable even after lacing up roller skates, here are a few tips for you:

Tighten The Laces As Needed

You’ll feel uncomfortable if you overtighten the laces and keep them too loose. It makes it hard to ride, turn, and perform tricks if you overtighten the laces. Similarly, if you keep laces loose, you’ll lose balance and may fall off. Therefore tighten the laces as it needed.

Secure The Laces Tightly At The Top Of The Boot

Once you find the perfect tightness of your laces, make sure tight accordingly but secure the laces tightly so that it doesn’t open while riding. Furthermore, tight the laces at the top of the boot because if you tight them at the bottom, then while riding or performing tricks, the end of the laces get in touch with the wheels and make you fall.

Get The Tools Required To Lace Roller Skates The First Time

You will need a few basic tools in order to lace up your roller skates properly. These include a shoehorn, pliers, scissors, and a measuring tape. Depending on the type of lace you have chosen, you may also need a small drill or needle and eyelet punches for leather laces.

Troubleshooting When Lacing Roller Skates

If you are having difficulty getting your skate laces tied properly, you can do a few things. First, ensure that all your eyelets are lined up properly before beginning the lacing process. You may also need to loosen or tighten certain sections of your laces in order to get them just right.

Maintenance And Care Of Roller Skate Lace

Roller skate laces should be replaced every few months or so to maintain optimum performance. Cleaning them regularly is also important; you can do this by hand-washing them in warm water with a mild detergent or by putting them in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with cold water. Keep an eye out for fraying or worn spots, as these can be signs that it’s time for a new pair of laces.

Common Mistakes When Lacing Roller Skates

One of the most common mistakes people make is not double-knotting their laces at the end. This can cause your laces to come undone during skating, which can be dangerous. Another mistake is not paying attention to how tight you have laced up your skates; having them too loose can lead to blisters and foot pain while tying them too tight can restrict blood flow and cause discomfort. Make sure to take a few seconds to check your lacing job!

If you want to convert ice skates into roller skates you can see our previous article. If you’re a beginner you can also see our guide on how to roller skate for beginners step by step.

FAQs

Conclusion

Lacing up your roller skates may seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually quite simple once you get the hang of it. Just remember to start at the bottom, work your way up, and finish off with a bow on top of the skate. Also, note that this same technique works great for both the wide feet and flat feet.

I hope you learned how to lace roller skates and started practicing yourself. Just keep practicing, and soon you’ll be lacing up roller skates like a pro.

Additional Questions

How do you lace roller skates for wide feet?

When dealing with wide feet, roller skate comfort is all about adjusting the laces. To enhance the fit for a wider foot, you should refrain from pulling the laces too tight around the widest part of your foot, a technique commonly referred to as “skip lacing”. This ensures the skate doesn’t pinch around the foot, while still providing a secure fit on the heel and ankle for stability.

How do you lace roller skates for beginners?

For beginners, lacing roller skates should be about ensuring both comfort and safety. Starting from the bottom, the laces should be pulled tightly to secure the foot, progressively loosening towards the top. It is best to use the traditional crisscross lacing method as it provides a good combination of support and flexibility.

How do you lace roller skates for bunions?

For roller skaters with bunions, lacing technique can make a significant difference to comfort and pain relief. This primarily involves creating a “lace lock” around the bunion area to relieve pressure. This can be achieved by missing a few eyelets around the area of the bunion to create a roomier space.

How do you lace skates for arch pain?

Arch pain while roller skating is often due to high arches necessitating additional support. To relieve this discomfort, you should consider lacing your skates using a side-to-side method instead of the conventional crisscross method. This unique lacing technique aims to provide extra support where required and can greatly alleviate arch pain.