Tips2

Zubits getting harder to close (or tighter)?

After a few weeks of use, sometimes shoelace slack will move down toward the toes. This means thee shoelaces are shorter where the Zubits are and harder to close or feel tighter than before.  So just pull some of the shoelace slack back up toward the top eyelet holes.  

Knot on the outside

Some people might prefer to keep their knots or Lace Anchors® on the outside of the shoe if they feel the knots are uncomfortable. This is easy to do and works just fine if you have an extra eyelet hole you are not using.

Push forward to open

To take off your shoes hands-free, just step on your opposite heel, pull your foot up and pop out. The key is to push forward to pop the Zubits open. Do not try to squeeze your foot out the back of the shoe like you would with normal laces.  Instead push forward until the Zubits split open, then lift your foot.

Frayed lace ends?

One of the great thing about Zubits closures is that you can use them many times over the life of many pairs of shoes. Or you may wish to put Zubits on an older pair of shoes. But these shoes may have frayed lace ends. Getting those laces through the Zubits closure holes can be a challenge so here's a tip for making it all come together. 

• Cut a small rectangle of tape (electrical tape works well). 
• Roll the tape around the tip of the lace, pinching the first part together.
• Twist the lace in your fingers holding the tape in position to create a really tight end.
• Thread the laces through your Zubits closures and complete the installation.
• You can leave the ends taped or cut them off and use the following tip to finish off the lace ends inside your shoe.

Frayed laces -  melted wax technique

You could also use wax to help lace frayed lace ends through your Zubits closures, or to finish off the lace ends after installation.

• Trim up any long bit of frayed laces with a scissors.
• Melt a bit of wax onto a plate or piece of plastic.
• Roll your lace end into the wax, keeping it rolled in one direction.
• After the wax cools for about 10 seconds, you can use your fingertips to pinch and twist the lace to create a fine point. (Be careful not to touch the wax when it is too hot)
• Let the wax set for about a minute and then lace your Zubits closures.

Frayed lace ends inside shoe after knotting?

After you finish normal Zubits installation you may want to prevent frayed lace ends inside your shoe, by burning or melting them.

• Trim any long bits of frayed laces with a scissors first.
• Grab the end bit of your lace, giving your fingers enough room away from the flame.
• Light a safety match and get it just close enough to burn or melt the frayed bits of the lace. If the lace catches fire, blow it out quickly.
• The lace ends should shrink up and harden together.

Lacing Boots - Crimp the Metal Hooks

Zubits closures are perfect for boots which require a lot of lacing, tying, and unlacing.  Some boots have metal hooks or "speed laces" at the top of the boot which won't hold the shoelaces when the Zubits are open and loose. There are a few solutions for this. The best method is to crimp the metal hooks closed if the metal hooks are flexible enough to crimp.

• Fully lace the Zubits onto your shoes according to the normal installation method. You may not be able to finish the installation, but at least make sure you have the right fit.
• Now crimp the metal hooks with a pliers or needle nose pliers so they laces won't pull out.
• Because there are usually no holes on the top of boots with metal hooks, there is no place to knot the laces inside the shoe. So tie a knot at the point of the top eyelet to secure the lace.
• Then cut off the excess lace. Leave a little extra if you need to re-adjust.

Lacing Boots - Holes in Metal Hooks

Zubits closures are perfect for boots which require a lot of lacing, tying, and unlacing.  Some boots have metal hooks or "speed laces" at the top of the boot which won't hold the shoelaces when the Zubits are open and loose. There are a few solutions for this. This method works well if your metal hooks have holes in them.

• Lace your laces according to the normal installation instructions using the holes in the metal hooks as regular eyelet holes.
• Because there are usually no holes on the top of boots with metal hooks, there is no place to knot the laces inside the shoe. So tie a knot at the point of the top eyelet to secure the lace as per the normal installation instructions.
• You could also lace up your shoes in other methods as in the picture so that the laces finish after going through the top hole of the Zubits. So you could also choose to knot the laces at the top Zubits hole.
• Then cut the extra lace off.

Lacing Boots - with Zip Ties

Zubits closures are perfect for boots which require a lot of lacing, tying, and unlacing.  Some boots have metal hooks or "speed laces" at the top of the boot which won't hold the shoelaces when the Zubits are open and loose. There are a few solutions for this. This method (given to us by user Alan) is the most effective and stable, but requires having some small size "zip ties" or wire.

• Fully lace the Zubits onto your shoes according to the normal installation method. You may not be able to finish the installation, but at least make sure you have the right fit.
• Reverse wrap your laces around each metal hook according to the picture.
• Take the zip ties and tighten them around the shoelaces so that they are so tight they won't slip off the metal hooks anymore.
• Cut off the excess zip ties.
• Tie a final knot at the top metal hook after wrapping the zip tie.