Essential Gear: Road ID - Awareness

A few weeks ago I posted an essential gear blog for Road ID. Today I got their e-mail newsletter and saw a request to help spread the word to first responders about looking for and using Road IDs.

The information contained on a Road ID can assist first responders greatly when needing to assist an someone in distress. We should all know where to look for a Road ID on a runner or cyclist.

The common locations to find a Road ID are:

- On the wrist
- On the ankle
- Around the neck
- On the shoe

At the very least first responders will have a number to contact someone in case of an emergency. If there is an interactive id then there is even more information available to first responders and medical teams. They can log into the road id site with your serial number and pin they will have access to:

- Your name
- Your home and work address
- Your medical information such as insurance, primary doctor and blood type
- 5 emergency contacts with both home and cell contact information

As you can imagine this information is vital in being able to get you the help you need as soon as possible!

We all should be encouraging our cyclist and runner friends to invest in a Road ID. This small investment could help save your life or that of someone you know. I often see and hear people ask what can I give as a gift to my runner & cyclist friends. The answer is a Road ID.

If you ever come across an accident involving a runner or cyclist be on the lookout for a Road ID and point it out to first responders. If you know anybody that is a first responder be it a Police Officer, EMT, Fireman, Forrest Ranger let them know about your Road ID, show them it and tell them about roadid.com. If could save someone’s life.

Road ID have even made these great flyers we can all share with family and friends who are first responders to spread the word.

You can download them here:

Debora’s Story

Gina’s Story

Lucas’ Story

Essential Gear - Cycling Jersey

Sweet! My new cycling jersey arrived!

Front

 Back

It fits real good, not too tight across the stomach and it has three deep pockets on the back.

You can't see it in these pics but it has the Flower of Scotland Lyrics written on the inside of the collar. I'll try to get a pic of it to update later.

Essential Gear: Road ID

The road ID is a piece of kit you can wear on your neck, wrist, ankle, shoe or foot. The idea is that if you are ever in an accident someone can use the id to contact someone you know.

It comes with one of two types of info plates on it. The original has your name, address and number on it and the Interactive has website and pin on it.

The interactive id takes it a bit further. First responders can log into the site on the tag and enter your pin to access all your emergency contact information and medical information. You’ll need to be sure you keep it all up to date buy making changes whenever you change Doctor, Insurance etc.

I have the Interactive Sport id version. It goes on the wrist and has a velcro strap on it you can adjust to your size. I make sure I wear it every single time I go out the door for a run, ride or race. I find it pretty comfortable on my wrist but sometimes when I run I will put into over a sweat band cos it can start to scratch a little as you move.

They have various other versions and they come in several colors so you can tie it in with the wrest of your gear.

You can order the Road ID online at http://www.roadid.com/Common/Catalog.aspx?C=RoadID

Get a grip!

After several rides on my bike I realised the grips on the bike where chaffing my hands up something crazy! I decided to make a change and orginally picked up some gel gloves.

The gloves worked fine but i find them a little uncomfortable.

A buddy of mine recommended some grips called ESI Grips from http://www.esigrips.com/

I got a black pair and went about installing them. I was going to try and keep my old ones for later us but decided not once i tried to remove them! In the end i just sliced them off with a knife.

Installing the new grips was pretty easy. I soaked the bar with window cleaner and then sprayed some more inside the grips and slide them on. They slipped on easy enough, took a bit of a shove to get them on.

Once they were on I took them out for a spin. They are super comfy and absorb alot of the shock when riding on bumpy roads.

Going Clipless

I had seen lots or people with special shoes for their bikes and pedals. I spoke to a few friends about clipless pedals and check out some reviews online.


The pedals connect directly to some special cleats on a bike shoe. You foot is then essentially attached to the pedal. This allows for more efficient pedaling as the ball of your foot is in constant contact with the pedal.
I found a great sale on pedals at Jenson USA and picked up some Shimano 105 PD5700 pedals for $69.99. A bargain according to everyone I spoke to. I also picked up some Pearl Izumi shoes that were on sale.


I had a buddy of mine help install the pedals. The old ones were really tough to get off. Even with all the tools! All the online videos made it seem much easier than it actually was. Here’s a video showing how easy it should have been!





How easy is that! We tried and tried and they just wouldn’t budge, finally after much persistance we were able to get the hold ones off.

The new ones were really easy to install and were done in a couple of minutes.

I connected the cleats to my shoes and made sure to line them up so the ball of my foot was positioned correctly per the instructions. Road shoes are funny to walk in because of the cleats. The ones I got had a rubber stopper on the back so you can walk in them but you have to be careful.

The next day I propped myself up in the garage and practiced connecting the shows to the pedals and then unclipping out of them over and over. I was told to practice because it does feel strange pulling them out, your foot should move kinda like squishing a bug. After I had practiced I headed out to give it a try. My first attempt was a FAIL! I didn’t pedal and watched as I tried to clip my right foot in and tumbled to the left! Nice new pedals and bike got their first scratches!

I jumped back on and then success. I went out for my usual loop. I clipped out a couple of times and back in successfully. I could really tell the difference being connected to the pedals, it was easier to get up some of the hills and I could build up speed quicker.