BIBUP Magnetic RaceBib Fixing System

I starting having an issue with safety pins tearing my running team jerseys. I saw other runners with magnets and thought that I'd give it a try.The first two times I used them, it was trial and error. I use my arms a little more than I should when running (I'm working on it), so my jerseys move a lot when I'm in motion. During the first use, I used four magnets and placed them in the same area where the safety pins would've been used. A couple of the magnets kept sliding off the bib. The magnets never separated (they're powerful little things), but they were sliding.Next race, I used four magnets again and placed them closer to the center of the bib. They still slid around a bit, but they remained on the race bib. Problem solved!Conclusion: from November 2018 - June 2019, I have used these magnets for multiple 5ks, 8ks, 10ks, trail runs, and trail Ultras. I definitely recommend them if you want to spare your shirts all the pin holes caused by safety pins. I've only used these on my shirts. Haven't tried them on my shorts or pants. The only con I have experienced is that the magnets tend to slid because I have a lot of torso movement. Adjusting the placement of the magnets fixed that little issue. As a matter of fact, during the most recent races I've ran they haven't even budged. Hopefully that means my core is getting stronger.

I used these in a recent marathon after being frustrated in the past due to safety pins causing holes in shirts I like (honestly, my first marathon was in freezing rain and I ended up with rusty holes on my shirt from the bib, so I’m probably a bit more traumatized by safety pins than I should be).Pros with Bibups:My bib number stayed on, and once I got started in the race I had no issues.I have times from all timing mats. I know the bib flipping up (if you use a belt and the bib is flipping around) or if you have an arm across the chip can all interfere with the ability to register a time, and while these claim not to interfere I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I’m happy to say that all my times showed up properly.No holes in my shirt, and I wore one of my favorite stretchy running shirts and was comfortable during my race, so that was great.No chafing. I hadn’t really tested little bits of plastic rubbing against my stomach for 5 plus hours, but no problems there.Cons with Bibups:These are slightly harder to get placed on the shirt compared to safety pins. I’ve always had to adjust safety pins several times myself, and it’s difficult to get the shirt on (if two of the sets of magnets come close to each other, they stick to each other even if they are already paired to their mates, so it can be tricky getting the shirt on over your head with the bib already on.I knocked one off while waiting for my corral to release, and its mate went skittering across the ground. I was able to reclaim it because we weren’t moving yet, but during a race this would have been a bigger problem.The first time I went to put the magnets on the bib, it got attracted to the timing chip, which caused me a bit of uncertainty as to whether I screwed up my timing chip or not. I was more cautious putting the rest of the magnets on, and the timing chip functioned well, so overall I wasn’t too bothered but just a little mad at myself for letting that happen.The magnets add a slight amount of weight to your shirt, especially if you are wearing a very light and swingy shirt this might be a problem (it was not a problem for me, I got used to it pretty quickly).And finally, you need to be vigilant about not letting magents come in contact with credit cards, etc. There's a lot to remember in race prep and post race, and now magnets and what magnets can do to your stuff is one more thing to keep track of.Conclusions:I’m really glad I got these. I didn’t lose any in my first race using them, and I can use them again in upcoming races. These seem a little expensive for tiny magnets covered in plastic, but are definitely cheaper than what they were selling (a similar brand) at my race Expo. It’s not a perfect system, and any metal near the timing chip “might” screw up the timing mats, but I had no problems and I’m going to keep using them.

I saw these all over the place when I was at a race in Japan. They were way more prevalent than either pins or belts, so I figured I had to get some once I returned to the US. I have only used them at one race so far, but my experience was good.I have caught my thumb on my bib during a race and ripped a small hole in my shirt from one of the pins, so I have been using a race belt most recently. However, those only secure the top or bottom edge of the bib, so it flops around and the full number is not always visible. If you care about your race photos being automatically identified, that's not good. For me, it was just annoying to have it flapping around when I was running or if there was wind during the race.I initially thought that I might lose the magnets if I caught my finger on the bib, but I think the most likely outcome would be that the corner of the bib would come out from between the magnets, but the magnets would remain attached to the shirt.As some others have indicated, it can be challenging to reposition your race bib once you have the magnets in place. Especially if you have OCD like me, and you want your bib to be centered and level on the front of your shirt. I originally took my shirt off, positioned the number, and then attached the magnets before putting my shirt on. Of course, I didn't get it exactly right and had to adjust a bit. With a little work, you can make small adjustments by sliding the magnets and the bib around. I think it is about the same amount of effort adjusting the magnets or pins, but not tearing my clothing is worth a little extra effort to me.I saved the original packaging to store these in. I think storing them on a piece of card in the same way that they are shipped makes a lot of sense. You could just put them into a bag, but I've found the card is easier to store and find in my bag.

Simply put, the magnets are strong and they do hold on my bibs without slipping. I find it takes a couple of minutes to actually get the magnets positioned and aligned the way I like. This is due to their shear strength. They tend to attract to themselves. I have NOT had an instance of them coming off during a race (5k to marathon) or even slipping. There have been times I have shed a layer of clothing while running and the magnets did not move and my bib was merely nudged a fraction of an inch. I am just unsure if they are worth the extra effort (IMO) when safety pins are quick and easy.

I really liked the concept and genuinely wanted to like these. I never seem to ve able to place pins exactly right and thought these might give me a race number that was flat and flap free.How wrong I was.They have the following issues:-with layers underneath/over the top, they catch and creep around, meaning you then have to move them back mid race (see next problem).-moving these around once fitted is a bit hit and miss. Sometimes the inner side magnet does not make it and attaches itself to the back of one of its neighbours.-once half a magnet has stuck itself to the back of a neighbour, the other half is vulnerable to being lost. I did one race and lost one magnet ... This could get expensive.-I found that over the course of a 12 miler in strong winds, the magnets stopped the number blowing away but I had to approach marshalls holding the number flat enough to read. I wished I'd just used pins.These would be good for road runners in good conditions, but for anything wild or mountainous, they're rubbish.

Love these. Have used them for a few races now, much less fiddly than using safety pins and also doesn’t damage your running wear. I find these are great when you have to collect your number on the day as it saves messing around

Used these for the first time yesterday in a 10k race. Brilliant! They worked perfectly and I didn't notice any difference from the normal safety pins. Will be using these every time from now.

Fantastic!!!! love these. I hate having to put pins through nice running tops. I was a little worried that they wouldnt hold the race number in place or would come off when running but this has never happened. Great idea

So much better than safety pins, was getting fed up with my race shorts looking like a tea bags with so many pin holes in them, these do the trick nicely and the magnets are dead strong.