# Man, riding rollers isn't as easy as it looks...



## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

I've had a trainer for a couple years. Bought a set of nice rollers about a month ago. 

I spent about 15 minutes on them tonight... Wow, they are not as easy as I thought they would be. Got off the rollers and did an hour on the trainer.

I've got the rollers on the floor next to my wife's treadmill. I'm holding onto the handle on the treadmill with my right hand, and left hand is on the handlebars. 

I was able to ride for about 20 seconds while not holding on to anything, but most of the time I needed at least on finger on the treadmill to give me some confidence.

AND.... I didn't realize that you don't get to coast at all.... or at least I'm not able to coast at all on the rollers. Was hoping I could coast for at least three seconds.

I'll practice some more tomorrow. I think it will be fun and a good workout once I get better at it...


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## funknuggets (Feb 4, 2004)

Ha! One of the most painful wrecks I have ever had involved a set of rollers and a coffee table and several roommates laughing uncontrollably as I bled. 

Thanks for being honest, but you need a couple of things. Make sure your bike has adequate pressure in the tires. Make sure you are in a pretty heavy gear. The faster your wheels spin, the easier this is. Lastly, you need to not look down. Look up and line up and spin through it. First ride on the rollers every winter is a little sketch, but you will get it. Seems like you do not have much confidence, and likely overcorrect wildly as soon as the other hand touches the handlebars, just focus on pedaling. Most people want to stop pedaling, and thats not good. Pedal and try and focus on keeping your weight and abs taught and back. Seems you are loading up your weight on your off hand and your over correction is flaking you out. Most people worry too much about rolling off the edge, don't. If you are definitely going to roll off, just drop off the edge. The worst wrecks are those that are in a just drop off situation and try and correct it.

Keep pedaling and keep the wheelspeed high. You will get it.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

The amount of time taken to get used to rollers may vary between riders, but once you've invested the time, riding them becomes second nature 

I personally prefer leaning against a wall to get started. I've also found that smaller rollers make it easier to dismount because you're much closer to the ground.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

Setting the rollers up in a doorway helps me. I can use my elbows to steady myself while starting and stopping.


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## zakyma (Jan 25, 2010)

In 10 seconds i was riding emotion rollers. They are different. On fourth time i was able to stand on the pedals. These rollers are excellent.


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## mmoose (Apr 2, 2004)

Whacha lookin at? 

(seriously, if you're looking further away, you'll ride 'straighter'. I use a mirror at the far end of the room to double my focal distance. And you'll see where you are on the drums and make small corrections)


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## andulong (Nov 23, 2006)

If you get the wheels spinning good and fast you should be able to "coast" for 3-4 seconds if you need to. I have been riding them once per week for several years and don't even think anything of it anymore. Watch TV talk on the phone etc. I ride mine in my narrowish kitchen so there is always the counter top on either side in case I need to grab something. No crashes yet!


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Roller benefit*



zakyma said:


> In 10 seconds i was riding emotion rollers. They are different. On fourth time i was able to stand on the pedals. These rollers are excellent.


In other words, you're not getting one of the major benefits that rollers offer - they require you to develop a smooth pedal stroke and a steady riding style or you get punished. Rollers that make it easy to ride without developing those skills are taking away one of the prime benefits of rollers.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Kerry Irons said:


> In other words, you're not getting one of the major benefits that rollers offer - they require you to develop a smooth pedal stroke and a steady riding style or you get punished. Rollers that make it easy to ride without developing those skills are taking away one of the prime benefits of rollers.


Agreed, rollers make you a better rider. Its not easy to become a better rider. 

Trainers on the other hand help fitness but make some people lazy riders when they hit the road.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

When I learned to ride rollers I found that if I thought about it too much I messed up. Don't look down.. look out ahead like you would on the road. Shift to your big ring and crank the speed up past 25mph and it'll be easier to hold your balance.

Try to do 15 minutes or so a day.. slowly but surely you'll get more comfortable.

Also... Lock your animals in a room away from you if you have any. My cat jumped from the sofa onto my back the first week I had rollers. I didn't fall but I got scratched up a lot and almost made a spectacle of myself.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

ZoSoSwiM said:


> When I learned to ride rollers I found that if I thought about it too much I messed up. Don't look down.. look out ahead like you would on the road. Shift to your big ring and crank the speed up past 25mph and it'll be easier to hold your balance.


Speed is a relative thing depending on the size of the roller. I've been riding 2.25" rollers since day 1 and 25mph is well over 300 watts. I can hit that, but can't sustain that kind of pace for very long. 4.5" rollers are about 1/2 the wattage at the same speed with 3" rollers somewhere in between.


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## JustTooBig (Aug 11, 2005)

ZoSoSwiM said:


> When I learned to ride rollers I found that if I thought about it too much I messed up. Don't look down.. look out ahead like you would on the road. Shift to your big ring and crank the speed up past 25mph and it'll be easier to hold your balance.


well, there may be some stabilizing effect associated with faster rotating wheels, but it's really not particularly difficult (balance-wise) to maintain 10-12mph on the rollers. This is coming from a big guy (250+) with a very high center of mass -- if anyone should have balance issues on rollers, it's me.

To the OP: there are a couple options for coasting, but both require spending more $$ and maybe getting different rollers. Kreitler has a flywheel attachment that can be added to their rollers, it adds mass (and resulting momentum) and allows for a more realistic road feel, including the ability to coast for at least 8-10sec. IMO, the most realistic road feel comes from TruTrainer rollers; they have an internal flywheel assembly in one of the drums, and I've been able to coast for 20sec or more on them. Of course, along with the ability to coast comes the more realistic simulation of spinning up to speed -- rollers with flywheels are much more difficult to accelerate.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

your balance is directly related to your wheel speed on the trainer. its pretty difficult to keep balanced in the granny gears, but fairly easy if you're in the big ring.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

JustTooBig said:


> well, there may be some stabilizing effect associated with faster rotating wheels


As said by TomH, it's not a matter of may be. Wheel spin is the _only_ thing producing the forces that keep you up on rollers. It's very different on the street: forward motion and steering corrections is what keeps you up, with wheel spin only a very small contributor. Because of that fundamental difference, it's difficult to ride rollers at first, even if you've been riding on the street for many years.


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## dgeesaman (Jun 9, 2010)

Kerry Irons said:


> In other words, you're not getting one of the major benefits that rollers offer - they require you to develop a smooth pedal stroke and a steady riding style or you get punished. Rollers that make it easy to ride without developing those skills are taking away one of the prime benefits of rollers.


The E-motion rollers are a nice middle ground. They're not nearly as sensitive to ride as a standard roller but they defnitely don't let you throw the bike all over the place.

The only part about the E-motions that isn't middle ground is the price. Not cheap at all.


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## prome (Jul 9, 2010)

+1 on the e-Motion rollers. Love 'em. Another hint for starting out: use a step stool next to the bike, and keep one foot on the stool. Start to pedal with the opposite leg and get the wheels up to speed, then get on. That helped me learn to start without holding on to anything so I could finally get it away from the wall.


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Doug B said:


> I've had a trainer for a couple years. Bought a set of nice rollers about a month ago.
> 
> I spent about 15 minutes on them tonight... Wow, they are not as easy as I thought they would be. Got off the rollers and did an hour on the trainer.
> 
> ...


A couple of ideas. 

Part of the problem is the increased distance from the floor and the inability to put your foot down without some problems. Originally, I built the stand shown below. It actually made the floor closer than usual and the post provided a starting place.

I did some remodeling and this room is now my finished den. There simply was no room for this big roller stand. Since I was putting down hardwood floors, I built them into the floor. There are now two panels that I simply lift (they barely show when not open) and I'm ready to ride. I'm still 2" closer to the floor (ground) than on a normal ride. You don't hit pedals because you are not doing serious turning.

View attachment 218147


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Given the price of e-motion rollers, it's certainly more economical to learn to use regular rollers. I'll spend up to 16 hours a week on my Kreitlers during my endurance training without problem.


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## Vee (Jun 17, 2010)

SwiftSolo said:


> A couple of ideas.
> 
> Part of the problem is the increased distance from the floor and the inability to put your foot down without some problems. Originally, I built the stand shown below. It actually made the floor closer than usual and the post provided a starting place.
> 
> ...


I'd love to see a picture of what you are describing (the built into the floor one). Sounds awesome.


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Vee said:


> I'd love to see a picture of what you are describing (the built into the floor one). Sounds awesome.


Here's some photos. I'm in the middle of a major interior remodel so the trim is not yet complete.

View attachment 218154


View attachment 218155


View attachment 218156


The last photo is what it normally looks like. The second with the rug rolled back, and the 1st ready to ride.


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## CaliforniaPI (Sep 25, 2005)

*Wow*

That is the bees knees, really, very good idea and good workmanship...


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## roadie01 (Apr 13, 2010)

I want rollers built into my living room floor. No more couch just a couple sets of rollers!

My experience riding rollers is: 
1. Start in a door way so that your shoulders will touch the door jamb before you fall off the rollers.
2. Remember small movements with the hands!!
3. Keep your speed up while maintaining a smooth circular pedal stroke. The smoother the pedal stroke easier it is to ride on the rollers. 
4. Limit the distractions until you have them down. 
5. If looking down remember to watch the front wheel and try to keep it centered on the roller. Don't look at your pedals or back wheel. 
6. Keep your hands light on the bars, just like you would on the road. 
7. Practice, Practice, Practice.
8. Stay in the door jamb until you are able to reach down take a bottle from the cage, drink, and replace the bottle without touching the sides.


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## Zipp0 (Aug 19, 2008)

Just keep riding. I built homebrew free-motion rollers so that I could ride out of the saddle. After lots of roller time I can ride regular rollers out of the saddle, no problem. I can't one-leg it or no-hands ride yet, but I'm sure it will come eventually.


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

SwiftSolo - Holy Crap - you built rollers into your floor! That is the coolest thing I have seen in a while. Great idea! I thought your original stand was pretty nice as well. My dad did something very similar for his rollers. Sure helps to not have that drop to get off.


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## carveitup (Oct 25, 2008)

One thing that nobody else has mentioned - make sure that your rollers are set up right. If the front roller is too far forward, it will make them a lot twitchier. It should be directly under the front axle. I guessed on the setup the first time we rode them and my wife nearly swore off them. But after adjusting them properly, we were both a lot more comfortable on them. It doesn't have to be perfect - her bike has a slightly shorter wheelbase than mine so we just found a setting that works for both of us.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

carveitup said:


> One thing that nobody else has mentioned - make sure that your rollers are set up right. If the front roller is too far forward, it will make them a lot twitchier. It should be directly under the front axle. I guessed on the setup the first time we rode them and my wife nearly swore off them. But after adjusting them properly, we were both a lot more comfortable on them. It doesn't have to be perfect - her bike has a slightly shorter wheelbase than mine so we just found a setting that works for both of us.


+1. Very important for sure.


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## calle_betis (Jun 30, 2006)

I have a set of Tacx rollers, which I really enjoy riding on and also a Tacx Flo trainer, which I find brutally boring at times.
*
Question: for you cyclists that use both, how do you organize your training schedule with both? 50-50 split, every other day?*


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## Hask12 (Sep 21, 2008)

The advantages of rollers for most is to be able to exercise indoors on your bike in a more natural setting with both front and back wheels of the bike turning. The ability of pedaling smoothly or riding in a straight line which can be learned while on rollers is secondary, which are why e motion rollers are so great. It makes it 10x easier to be on rollers. But I sure as hell can't justify that cost.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

calle_betis said:


> *
> Question: for you cyclists that use both, how do you organize you training schedule with both? 50-50 split, every other day?*


I basically use my rollers for tempo, steady state threshold, and other basic endurance training. The trainer is basically for intervals only. 

My training schedule basically utilizes the rollers for about 3 months for my base phase and mostly the trainer for the build phase, although there are a few endurance rides here n' there during the build phase.


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## erol/frost (May 30, 2004)

Have a chair or ride near something that you can lean on. When I learned to ride, it took a while but you soon get the hang of it. I could ride no handed and stand up and "sprint" on my rollers. A tip is to put a folded towel under the rearmost roller if you find the resistance to light


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## gregg (Oct 30, 2000)

Holy! SwiftSolo....that setup is awesome!! 

I've had my Kreitlers for years and they are still the best. And def, rollers and trainers serve similar but different purposes.


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## roadie01 (Apr 13, 2010)

spade2you said:


> I basically use my rollers for tempo, steady state threshold, and other basic endurance training. The trainer is basically for intervals only.
> 
> My training schedule basically utilizes the rollers for about 3 months for my base phase and mostly the trainer for the build phase, although there are a few endurance rides here n' there during the build phase.


I second this, ride the rollers for base or tempo and a fixed trainer for intervals and max effort training. 

I only ride my rollers or trainer when I have no choice due lack of time to get out on the road, weather (icy wet roads) cold is no excuse, or I need to be home to watch the chillens.


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## Canndyman (Sep 7, 2012)

Well I broke down and did it today, set up the rollers I bought on Craigslist a few months back and went on my maiden voyage. It was about what I had suspected balance wise, a little tricky at first, but it comes to you. I did the in the doorway set up, and used my elbows as training wheels for the first few minutes. The bike wanted to wash out a few times, but you quickly learn to quiet your upper body and minimize your input. At around the five minute mark I eased up my death grip on the hoods and started moving my hand position around, though I never attempted the drops. I also used tennis shoes on my Look Keo's, wasn't about to clip in the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed it, set the timer for a half an hour and it went by pretty fast. Next time I'll set up a fan, started sweating pretty good towards the end. It was more resistance than I had thought, there is no coasting. Kinda feels like riding a snake, it can get to wriggling beneath you. Anyways sorry for the long winded post, been stuck inside with a cold for two weeks, and was dying to spend some time on my bike. I was nervous at first, but really enjoyed it, Canndyman.


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## xinque (Oct 3, 2012)

I found it easier to just look forward and not think about balancing at all when starting. Staring down at your front wheel just makes it worse because I think most people are inclined to overcompensate in the beginning. I'm comfortable in all the hand positions now, but probably gonna keep riding in my doorway / hall just for safety. Momentary lapse in concentration is all it takes to send you off the rollers.


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## Canndyman (Sep 7, 2012)

Did another half hour tonight, this time with a fan and music. I was instantly more comfortable, but still a little wobbley. I did get down into the drops a few times, but the transition was a little nerve racking. I noticed my speeds were quite low yesterday, 13 average, 16 high. Kicked up the cadence a bit tonight, avg 16, high 19. I look ahead mostly, but found myself comfortable looking down at the bike and front wheel, though it would make me drift around a bit more. Good stuff. Gonna take a while to really settle into them and get comfy, but it's the next best thing to actually burning road....


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## duane.jones (Nov 16, 2012)

Rollers terrify me, man! Seems like a great idea until you see people sliding around on those things like they're on an ice rink, only on a bike with walls nearbye. Go to YouTube and search "bicycle roller fail," and you'll see what I mean. I'm happy to LOCK my bike into my CycleTEK trainer and zone out on some TV or music.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

duane.jones said:


> Rollers terrify me, man! Seems like a great idea until you see people sliding around on those things like they're on an ice rink, only on a bike with walls nearbye. Go to YouTube and search "bicycle roller fail," and you'll see what I mean. I'm happy to LOCK my bike into my CycleTEK trainer and zone out on some TV or music.


If I can ride rollers, anyone can. The guys on youtube don't respect the rollers and pay. Respect the rollers and you'll be fine.


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

Going 10mph down the road is probably more dangerous than rollers. I think a lot of people who just cant ride rollers have them adjusted improperly. They're *extremely* hard to ride when the front roller isnt in the right place. Its actually pretty simple when you're all setup. 

I hop on mine one footed, pedal a turn or so, clip in and go. Im a very casual rider, no racing or worrying about cadence and smooth stroke at all... i still find the rollers pretty easy to use. The trainer was painfully boring, I just couldnt do it.


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## duane.jones (Nov 16, 2012)

Man, I love riding because there is so much to see in the city. I'd kill myself on some rollers in my garage! That's why I went with my CycleTEK trainer, I can zone out and not worry about launching through one of my garage walls!


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## forge55b (Jan 30, 2011)

duane.jones said:


> Man, I love riding because there is so much to see in the city. I'd kill myself on some rollers in my garage! That's why I went with my CycleTEK trainer, I can zone out and not worry about launching through one of my garage walls!


Common misconception with rollers and the potential to "fall" off and somehow create inertia to move your whole body. If you stray off rollers you do more of a burnout with the rear tire and maybe move a foot or so.


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## RaptorTC (Jul 20, 2012)

^Exactly. They recently did a test on Mythbusters that was similar. They were testing if "hitting the ground running" led to faster times over a set distance. One of the guys set up a rig similar to a trainer, but with no resistance unit under the tire so he could get the tire spinning nice and quickly. They then dropped the back wheel and let it hit the ground while he was pedaling. After hitting the ground the tire basically came to a stop and he moved forward a foot or two max. He was also in way too big of a gear all of a sudden since he had to re-accelerate from a stand still and had to put a foot down. Surely a far cry from the common notion that you'll go shooting off like a rocket if you fall off rollers.


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## xinque (Oct 3, 2012)

I remember laughing about sweat thongs before I got my rollers.. not laughing now..


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## TomH (Oct 6, 2008)

duane.jones said:


> Man, I love riding because there is so much to see in the city. I'd kill myself on some rollers in my garage! That's why I went with my CycleTEK trainer, I can zone out and not worry about launching through one of my garage walls!


You'd probably catch on after a few minutes and enjoy it drastically more than the soul sucking trainer. Ive jumped off the rollers plenty of times, at worst you do a little burnout on the ground and thats it. 

Id honestly rather crash repeatedly over and over than ride a trainer :lol: Nothing to fear about rollers.


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

SwiftSolo said:


> Here's some photos. I'm in the middle of a major interior remodel so the trim is not yet complete.
> 
> View attachment 218154
> 
> ...


How do you change the band?


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

kbwh said:


> Setting the rollers up in a doorway helps me. I can use my elbows to steady myself while starting and stopping.


+1 This, or a hallway.


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## Canndyman (Sep 7, 2012)

I graduated to using my cycling shoes and clipping in tonight. As I am still riding in the doorway it was quite easy. I can hop on the bike, prop myself up, clip in and take off pedaling. Can stop pedaling and come to a stop with my elbows flared in the doorway, unclip. I know it's not how the pro's roll, but I'm a newbie, and proud of myself for making it this far. It's really not that hard, anybody half way coordinated can do it, and it's mentally stimulating. I was dead nervous about trying them for the first time, but it's really not that bad. Like somone else stated, give them the respect they deserve and you'll be o.k..


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Canndyman said:


> I graduated to using my cycling shoes and clipping in tonight. As I am still riding in the doorway it was quite easy. I can hop on the bike, prop myself up, clip in and take off pedaling. Can stop pedaling and come to a stop with my elbows flared in the doorway, unclip. I know it's not how the pro's roll, but I'm a newbie, and proud of myself for making it this far. It's really not that hard, anybody half way coordinated can do it, and it's mentally stimulating. I was dead nervous about trying them for the first time, but it's really not that bad. Like somone else stated, give them the respect they deserve and you'll be o.k..


Were you riding the rollers before clipless pedals? I've never done that or even thought about that.


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## Canndyman (Sep 7, 2012)

spade2you said:


> Were you riding the rollers before clipless pedals? I've never done that or even thought about that.


I figured somebody would bust my chops for using the wrong terminology. Wasn't sure what to call it, took a stab at it. I'm using Look Keo clipless pedals. The first two times on the rollers I left them on, but just wore tennis shoes. This time I wore my cyling shoes and locked into the bike. Please advise on the proper terminology............


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