Road ID Replacement Tag Hack
Click here for the replacement tag image on Flickr.
Keep reading for more in-depth… or watch the video below.
I have one of the Road ID Sport armbands and I really like it. I got it as a Christmas gift several years ago it’s become a standard part of my running gear. I’m wouldn’t call myself superstitious, but I like routine. I run in pretty much the same thing every day. It’s comfortable and I’m familiar with every piece. I know exactly what I need to wear depending on temperature and weather. The Road ID sport goes on one wrist and my Garmin watch on the other, I like the Road ID and the piece of mind it offers when I’m running in an unfamiliar city or far out in the country. Mine’s out of date though, and most of the information is incorrect now. Without updating the emergency contact information on the Road ID wristband it’s become more of a fashion statement than a safety measure.
At first I was hesitant to order a Road ID replacement, then I realized users could remove the little ID / information tag with the emergency contact info on it and simply order that piece, not the entire bracelet. That seemed like a great idea until I looked it up on the Road ID website and realized the Road ID replacement tag was $17.99 – only two dollars less than the whole bracelet.
Sure, fine. That’s their business plan, making the bulk of the profit on the replacement tag. I get it. It’s a good idea. But I’m not paying that. I’m simply not shelling out that much dough for a replacement ICE tag when I already own the bracelet. I’ve thought about this a lot over the last year. I’d pay $7-8.00 no problem. Under $10.00 shipped and I’d have ordered one already. But not for $18.00.
Lots of running and cycling forums advocate the adoption of simple, military-style dog tags, and dog tags are dirt cheap. I could get 2 sets for the same price as a Road ID replacement tag. I don’t like the idea of it clanging and jingling as I run, and I wear a Fitbit tracker around my neck already. I just don’t dig the dog tag idea.
While running the other day I came up with an idea to make my own Road ID Replacement tag. I’ll fix it in Photoshop.
I measured the tag and on the computer created a rectangular box I could type some text in. Then I typed some text in. I added all the crap that’s on the Road ID tag to begin with. I had to resize it a bit, and shift it around, but it was easy. Users of almost any computer can do this in almost any image editing software. Even MS Paint will work. If you have access to a Windows machine, you can make your own Road ID replacement tag in a matter of minutes.
I’ve even put a copy of the image I made up on Flickr so users can download it and fill it out. Go for it. Use it, share it, etc. Leave a comment if it worked for you.
It’s a 3×5 in rectangular image that will print white with a black box. Download the full size image from Flickr (click here) and open it in any image editor. Fill appropriate text in the box provided, and trim the box on the inside of the border. Yeah, it’s small. The inside dimensions of the box are about 24mm long by 19 mm tall. The total image should measure 3×5 inches and 300 dpi. You may have to play around with your print settings to get it to work – my Windows default print dialog messes it up every single time by trying to scale it to fit to the page – but Photoshop prints it just fine.
Now, if you did it correctly, the piece of paper with your updated information on it will fit onto the Road ID Sport size tag with a little space at the edges. That space is important. We have to tape the paper onto the tag, and that little space at the top, bottom, and sides is how the tape will stick to the original metal tag. It’s the tape that’s going to make this paper somewhat weather proof… it’s never going to be as weather-proof as the original laser engraved $20.00 metal tag, but hey, it was free.
I used packing tape. It’s more heavy duty that scotch tape, and it should last quite a bit longer. If I ever have to change it again, I can just scrape it off and print another one out.
Have fun. Run far. Save $17.00 dollars. Like my Facebook page – I usually try to post a photo a day. Thanks.
