# Interesting Burton Speedlace issue and fix



## cerebroside (Nov 6, 2012)

I had an interesting issue with my 2014 Burton Rulers on Friday. Second run of a great day (20 cm fresh), about halfway down, I noticed my left/rear boot was super loose. Tried to tighten it up and the whole lace just pulled out!
I'd heard of them snapping before, but I don't rest my edge on my boot, and I couldn't find the other end of the lace. Tried a run laceless (which sucked), and ended up calling it a day. I figured I had busted the attachment point or something.

Anyway, I took it to the shop on the way home, and it was just a snapped lace, but we couldn't figure out why and what happened to the other end.
It wasn't until I got home and started to rethread the lace that I looked at the other side to try and figure out what knot to tie, and realized it was frayed as all hell! Looks like it is from rubbing on a rivet under the knot. 
The other side must have just rubbed until it snapped while riding. I have about 20 days on these boots.

Front of the knot, notice the location of the rivet:









Backside of the knot, hard to see the fraying in the photo, but check out the bits of red fuzz where it has rubbed the rivet:









Stuck a square of gorilla tape over the rivet to hopefully stop the fraying:









Compared the knot to some pictures, and to my amateur eye it looks like a Poacher's Knot. Apparently good for high strength ropes that are too slippery for normal knots. Retied the broken side with one of those and good to go!

Did the same to my new SLXes, though I haven't ridden them yet so it's hard to say if they would have the same issue. Looks like the rivet is not as centered under the knot:









Anyway, doesn't sound like this is a common issue, but hopefully this post prevents someone having to cut a good days riding short. Not sure if it will be the same with other sizes, my Rulers are sz 11 and the SLXes sz 11.5.


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## rambob (Mar 5, 2011)

Good writeup, thanx. I'd put some heat on those cut nylon cords; a quick bic lighter to keep them from fraying?


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## PlanB (Nov 21, 2014)

This is a good thing to let others know about. Seems like I regularly hear about problems with Burton's speed lacing system. 

Ill stick with my regular-lace 32's thanks!


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## koi (May 16, 2013)

cerebroside said:


> I'd heard of them snapping before


Yep, one of my Driver X's last Saturday snapped. Fucker didn't even have 20 days on it. Fucker broke near the end of the lace so it wasn't even like resting by board on my boot cut it.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

While that particular boot lace issue is nothing I'm ever going to run into. (..Tried burton's, they don't fit my feet worth a frick!) I did want to say that that Knot site is brilliant! I know that will come in handy! Thanks for that link.


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## rambob (Mar 5, 2011)

I got many, many days on my B Driver Xs with no problems. :blahblah:


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## cerebroside (Nov 6, 2012)

rambob said:


> Good writeup, thanx. I'd put some heat on those cut nylon cords; a quick bic lighter to keep them from fraying?


Yup, the lace routing is pretty narrow in places, so I needed to melt the end with a lighter and squeeze it to a point to get it in. Went in great after that. I didn't include a picture of the broken side.


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