There are a few things that we all think of as necessities for cycling but here is another one that is just as important, in my opinion, as your helmet and bike. It’s called a Road ID.
Many of the people that I ride with have one and urged me to get one. For a while I thought it wasn’t that big of a deal to have one until I had a conversation with a fire fighter.
During this conversation with a fire fighter and fellow cyclist I quickly came to realize how important these Road ID’s actually are. He proceeded to tell me about what a first responder looks for when arriving on the scene of an injured person, and yep, you guessed it… the Road ID is one of them.
These Road ID’s give all the basic and vital information that a first responder needs to accurately and appropriately help an injured person. This information could potentially save your life, or if you’re a donor, could save someone else’s life. After that conversation I quickly proceeded to try and get my hands on one of these Road ID’s. The Road ID I chose was the Wrist ID Sport model ($19.99 – roadid.com).
There were a few concerns I had when I received the Road ID. The first concern had to do with me not really having a good experience with things around my wrist when I ride. The reason for that has to do with numbness in the arm from lack of circulation because of something on my wrist. What I did when I first received it was I put it on my helmet. It worked great.
I simply strapped it through the vent holes on the front of the helmet and it fit snugly. I did, however, decide that if I was to do a full review I needed to try it on my wrist. Much to my surprise, I like it on my wrist even better. I left the Velcro strap a little loose and it really fits great, I honestly can not tell it’s even there. This leads me into my second concern.
When I initially received the Road ID my first thought was that it was a little bit light and flimsy feeling. The construction of it was great, I guess I just thought that something so important would be heavier. I guess that is just how my mind works. These guys knew what they were doing, though, because despite the lightness it is very strong and the Velcro strap holds extremely well. Something to take into consideration in cycling is the weight of your bike, clothing, accessories, etc but there is no need to worry about the weight of the Road ID holding you back.
The Road ID is one of the most important things you can have with you and there are tons of options when picking out what you want on it. The website is also super helpful with giving you ideas on what to put on each line of the metal face. I have my name on the first line, address on the second line, contact numbers on the third and fourth lines, what allergies I may or may not have on the fifth line and after all that there is still a sixth line where you can put your favorite short quote or a nickname or a favorite bible verse, like me. (Pslam 27:1)
I highly encourage you to invest in a Road ID. They’re not only great for cyclists, but runners, skate boarders and kids that play outside will find these can benefit from a Road ID.
I’m going to leave you with a little tip:
Disclosure: I received the above mentioned product free of charge to facilitate my review. My opinion is honest and my own and not influenced by compensation.
