By

MG

·

Time for a Road ID

This past week I bought a Road ID. Initially, I blamed my purchase on all the Road ID ads run during the Tour de France coverage for filling my mind with how much I needed one. Marketing, I tell you!

Really, though, I can’t blame the Tour ads for my recent purchase.

My Road ID arrives

I decided to get a Road ID for a few reasons:

  1. I was too lazy to research other similar companies or have something engraved with my contact information.
  2. I wanted a bracelet-style ID as opposed to a necklace/dog tag setup.
  3. I wanted identification to take with me on runs.

When I go running, I have a bad habit of taking my ID out of my wallet, putting it in a shorts pocket, going for my run, and then forgetting to put it back in my wallet after I return. While not a major problem, it was an annoyance I could avoid by having a sports-specific ID. Enter Road ID.

As those of you who watched the Tour de France probably already know, my Road ID is a bracelet with an engraved plate containing my personal information. Nothing too personal, but enough for people to know my name and call my emergency contact if need be.

Road ID offers the basic ID and they also sell an interactive identification system that allows a person to put more information on-line. Since my primary concern was to carry something with my name and contact information, I did not bother with anything more complicated than the basic ID bracelet.

I chose the purple wristband for my Road ID (Hello Kitty sticker not included).

My wrist strap is made of nylon and fastens with velcro. I wore it for the first time on this weekend’s run and it was light and comfortable. I like the look of the ID. It says, “I’m sporty!” (Fake it ’til you make it, right?)

Most important, though, is that I have peace of mind. I have some form of identification on me and I don’t have to worry about forgetting to return it to my wallet when I’m done with my run.

So yes, I caved to marketing, but in this case I’m glad I did. I’m saying no to ID’s forgotten in my running clothing, at least for the time being, and yes to always carrying ID with me when I run.

Anybody else have a good ID system for running? If so, please share in the comments. I’d like to know about it.

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Responses to “Time for a Road ID”

  1. Pete Beers (@I_am_Dirt)

    Awesome choice. I’ve got quite a variety of them and have found them very useful. I have one with my local info at home, for when I’m riding in the DC area and others with my info for home-away-from-home (Colorado or France) when I’m cycling or jumping off of things at my regular haunts away from DC.

    I’m pretty hard on mine and I’ve come to appreciate the Elite version. I wear mine virtually all the time… somewhat like Burt Reynolds’ cowboy hat in the movie Smokey and the Bandit. The elite version is comfy and doesn’t get beat up like the standard sport version can after a year or so on my wrist.

    Glad you’re being safe. 😀 Rock on!!!

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    1. MG

      Really? I looked at the Elite version and decided I’d see how the basic one worked for me. Did not realize that the Elite was so much more rough-and-tumble ready!

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  2. Lisa

    I have one of those helmet IDs, which I’ve been told isn’t the best option, because it means removing my helmet to see it, which could potentially be bad if I suffer a head or neck injury. I also carry a mini-wallet when riding that has my ID and contact information.

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    1. Lisa

      I forgot to mention that I think the Hello Kitty sticker is awesome. 🙂

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      1. MG

        Thanks! I was quite pleased with how Hello Kitty added to my Road ID’s aesthetic appeal! I do the mini-wallet while on the bike, too, but I like to not carry much at all when I run.

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  3. John

    In my running days, I would wear a wrist wallet. It looks like a road id but it’s a little wider than a driver’s license and had a zipper pocket. I’d put my key, my id, and a few dollars inside. The velcro was too narrow so it was forever flopping around when I ran.

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    1. MG

      I wondered about those… so with the flopping, would you give it a thumbs down, then??

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    2. Tara

      This is the kind of wrist wallet that I have that I’ll use sometimes for biking if I don’t have any pockets — perfect for credit card, $20 bill, and my SmartTrip card (so I can hop back on the Metro if I can’t bike back for some reason). It does get a bit sweaty, but there is no flopping.
      http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=14214&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C7%2C1582&iProductID=14214

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      1. Tara

        Also, didn’t you think RoadID really outdid themselves with the TdF commercials this year? When I saw the first one, I remember thinking “Is that Jens Voigt in trucker hat??” They must have had so much fun shooting those commercials.

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  4. Mike H.

    I have had the basic Road ID for several years for both running and biking. I haven’t had any problems at all and the company did send a free upgrade kit when a fault was identified in the design of the product. I am signed up for the online service as I feel the nominal cost will be repaid if there is an accident and my primary POC is inaccessible. The trick is remembering to update my insurance information when it changes every year.

    An extra bonus is the additional stripe in my wicked cool biker tan.

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    1. MG

      That’s cool that they upgraded you at not cost. I was on the fence about the on-line service. We’ll see how I feel after using it for a while.

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  5. George

    Good going, MG. I made the same choice after my little tangle. Now, I just need to remember to put it on the mental checklist of items to throw on my body as I race out the door. 🙂

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  6. Iron RIder

    Carrying any ID is better than going without, but I think dog tags are a better alternative to Road ID. That is what I use and here’s why:
    http://eprider.blogspot.com/2012/02/better-alternative-to-road-id.html

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    1. MG

      Good post. I’ve wondered whether people unfamiliar with Road ID would figure out what it is. I don’t like dogtags rattling on my neck, especially when I run, but maybe I should reconsider…

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