# Fitness trackers vs dedicated cycling computers vs phone app?



## Rockn Robin (17 Aug 2018)

I have been using an app on my smartphone called BikeBrain. It has done, well I think it's done, a decent job for me over the past few years. I'm just a doodler on the road, nothing competitive, but I want to track how I'm doing, especially in monitoring the old ticker. Well, just recently my wife and I got Fitbit Ionic watches. I find it great for monitoring my heart rate during the day, steps, and sleep mode. 

For the first time this morning, I used the Fitbit in the bike exercise mode along with the phone app. For the phone app I use a heart rate chest strap. During the first few minutes into the ride, the HR on the Fitbit was way off from what the BikeBrain app indicated, but not long after it sort of leveled off. But there were times when the HR was quite a bit different from the app. I have been told that a chest strap monitoring device is more accurate. But in regards to accuracy. Up until now, I haven't had anything to compare with the BikeBrain app. What would you consider the most accurate means of monitoring a ride? Is the BikeBrain app a good reliable source, or would you suggest a bike computer from say Garmin, as an example? 

I want to make sure my heart is properly monitored. You see, I have had heart issues in the past and I am dealing with hypertension.

Thank you for you help.


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## Slick (17 Aug 2018)

Not very scientific, but after a hospital visit, I measured my fit bit against the hospital monitor and even the doctor remarked on how accurate the fit bit was. How that performance reacts during exercise is anyone's guess though.


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## Rockn Robin (17 Aug 2018)

Slick said:


> Not very scientific, but after a hospital visit, I measured my fit bit against the hospital monitor and even the doctor remarked on how accurate the fit bit was. How that performance reacts during exercise is anyone's guess though.



I'm sorry about your hospital visit, but the accuracy of the Fitbit with the hospital monitoring equipment is very encouraging.


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## Slick (17 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> I'm sorry about your hospital visit, but the accuracy of the Fitbit with the hospital monitoring equipment is very encouraging.


No worries, it was a while ago and really just a check up. The doctor was impressed as well.


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## Ming the Merciless (17 Aug 2018)

Fitbit is not very accurate on the bike because of the angle of the wrist when holding the bars. The cheat strap will be more accurate.


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## Rockn Robin (17 Aug 2018)

YukonBoy said:


> Fitbit is not very accurate on the bike because of the angle of the wrist when holding the bars. The cheat strap will be more accurate.



Interesting. Never thought of that. Maybe that's my I get conflicting readings when I change hand positions.


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## Slick (17 Aug 2018)

YukonBoy said:


> Fitbit is not very accurate on the bike because of the angle of the wrist when holding the bars. The cheat strap will be more accurate.


Just slide it slightly higher up the wrist.


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## Rockn Robin (18 Aug 2018)

Slick said:


> Just slide it slightly higher up the wrist.


Thanks, I will try that.


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## cyberknight (18 Aug 2018)

I raised this on another thread about how inaccurate a mates phone was , he was 20 mins quicker on a two up ride and now he has bought my old garmin ,


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## tom73 (18 Aug 2018)

Heart rate monitor will be more on the mark then one on the wrist as they work of radial pulse which is a less accurate measure than a direct one worn around the chest. One exception being the Apple Watch that has been designed to be more accurate together with a IOS built around it and is on a pair with my chest worn one 99% of the time.


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## Rockn Robin (18 Aug 2018)

cyberknight said:


> I raised this on another thread about how inaccurate a mates phone was , he was 20 mins quicker on a two up ride and now he has bought my old garmin ,



Is Garmin a good reliable name in cycling computers then? I don't know anything about Garmin other than the GPS unit I have for my car.


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## Rockn Robin (18 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> Heart rate monitor will be more on the mark then one on the wrist as they work of radial pulse which is a less accurate measure than a direct one worn around the chest. One exception being the Apple Watch that has been designed to be more accurate together with a IOS built around it and is on a pair with my chest worn one 99% of the time.


Even during exercise? A new one is scheduled to appear in September I think.


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## tom73 (18 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> Even during exercise? A new one is scheduled to appear in September I think.



Yes fitness is a central part of it’s function it was designed to be that way. Hence in built health app. Which btw has cycling as a pre set workout option. Yes September time along with the new iPhone and the next OS and iOS. A new iPad maybe in the mix too.


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## nickAKA (23 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> Is Garmin a good reliable name in cycling computers then? I don't know anything about Garmin other than the GPS unit I have for my car.



Yes, the Garmin units are super reliable, better than phone aps like strava etc.
I have plenty of mates who use strava but generally once they've been at it for a while they get a standalone unit for a variety of reasons, mainly accuracy but also due to mysteriously 'lost rides' which is infuriating. You'll always get discrepancies between different kit, especially elevation so don't get too hung up on that as I think the biggest issue there is the GPS accuracy. I swapped to a wahoo elemnt bolt from a vivoactive watch & a lezyne macro GPS purely due to battery life on long rides, so consider that before you take the plunge on anything.
I personally would recommend all 3 I've used - Garmin, Lezyne & Wahoo - they all do a great job at a range of prices. I bought an ANT/bluetooth chest strap from Decathlon for £30 and that's been great, not a fan of wrist monitors (my old one was hopeless) and bought speed & cadence sensors.
The latest Lezyne units look to be stunning value.


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## tom73 (23 Aug 2018)

like @nickAKA say's standalone uint is going to be the best best. Using Apps ect is ok too all depends what you want. Buying a good bike computer give's you flexibly for you too add stuff too in the future. i can only really comment on the elemnt I love mine work's out the box so simple to set up and away you go. Upload's all the data instantly and battery life is great too.


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## Rockn Robin (23 Aug 2018)

nickAKA said:


> Yes, the Garmin units are super reliable, better than phone aps like strava etc.
> I have plenty of mates who use strava but generally once they've been at it for a while they get a standalone unit for a variety of reasons, mainly accuracy but also due to mysteriously 'lost rides' which is infuriating. You'll always get discrepancies between different kit, especially elevation so don't get too hung up on that as I think the biggest issue there is the GPS accuracy. I swapped to a wahoo elemnt bolt from a vivoactive watch & a lezyne macro GPS purely due to battery life on long rides, so consider that before you take the plunge on anything.
> I personally would recommend all 3 I've used - Garmin, Lezyne & Wahoo - they all do a great job at a range of prices. I bought an ANT/bluetooth chest strap from Decathlon for £30 and that's been great, not a fan of wrist monitors (my old one was hopeless) and bought speed & cadence sensors.
> The latest Lezyne units look to be stunning value.


I just finished looking at the Lexyne models. Very reasonably priced.


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## Rockn Robin (23 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> like @nickAKA say's standalone uint is going to be the best best. Using Apps ect is ok too all depends what you want. Buying a good bike computer give's you flexibly for you too add stuff too in the future. i can only really comment on the elemnt I love mine work's out the box so simple to set up and away you go. Upload's all the data instantly and battery life is great too.


I was reading up on a comparison between the Elemnt and the Edge. What I like about the Elemnt is that you can do a Google search and use the device to guide you there. I think that feature is great.


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## nickAKA (23 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> I just finished looking at the Lexyne models. Very reasonably priced.



They have there idiosyncrasies, certainly not as user friendly us the wahoo bolt or the garmin edge, but for the money they're really good value. Once you're used to the (pretty awful) app they work really well but with a couple of caveats: the only speed & cadence sensor I could get mine to work with consistently was the lezyne one which isn't a biggie if you buy the unit with everything included, and I've never tried using the mapping/route planner but from reviews it isn't great.
If you just want to track your effort though it's perfect, auto upload your data to strava, job done.


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## nickAKA (23 Aug 2018)

tom73 said:


> like @nickAKA say's standalone uint is going to be the best best. Using Apps ect is ok too all depends what you want. Buying a good bike computer give's you flexibly for you too add stuff too in the future. i can only really comment on the elemnt I love mine work's out the box so simple to set up and away you go. Upload's all the data instantly and battery life is great too.



Does pretty much everything, I wouldn't go back to a Garmin as they cut simple features on lower end models (like support for powermeters, haven't got one yet but y'know...) which I find annoying - a petty policy designed to get you spending more if you want to upgrade to EXISTING tech. Why do that? I know it's not exactly mass-market but it's a simple enough feature to include.


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## Rockn Robin (23 Aug 2018)

nickAKA said:


> They have there idiosyncrasies, certainly not as user friendly us the wahoo bolt or the garmin edge, but for the money they're really good value. Once you're used to the (pretty awful) app they work really well but with a couple of caveats: the only speed & cadence sensor I could get mine to work with consistently was the lezyne one which isn't a biggie if you buy the unit with everything included, and I've never tried using the mapping/route planner but from reviews it isn't great.
> If you just want to track your effort though it's perfect, auto upload your data to strava, job done.


They are significantly less expensive, but like all other devices , they all have their own idiosyncrasies. It’s just a matter of learning how to deal with then.


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## nickAKA (23 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> They are significantly less expensive, but like all other devices , they all have their own idiosyncrasies. It’s just a matter of learning how to deal with then.



Exactly, and it's not unusable - it's just a bit funky in operation. Once i'd got used to mine, no problems whatsoever. The reason I got a bolt was because the v2 lezynes didn't support ANT and I got sick of swapping sensors on bikes. I could have easily bought another lezyne but the reviews for the bolt were so good I couldn't resist.


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## Tin Pot (23 Aug 2018)

Rockn Robin said:


> I have been using an app on my smartphone called BikeBrain. It has done, well I think it's done, a decent job for me over the past few years. I'm just a doodler on the road, nothing competitive, but I want to track how I'm doing, especially in monitoring the old ticker. Well, just recently my wife and I got Fitbit Ionic watches. I find it great for monitoring my heart rate during the day, steps, and sleep mode.
> 
> For the first time this morning, I used the Fitbit in the bike exercise mode along with the phone app. For the phone app I use a heart rate chest strap. During the first few minutes into the ride, the HR on the Fitbit was way off from what the BikeBrain app indicated, but not long after it sort of leveled off. But there were times when the HR was quite a bit different from the app. I have been told that a chest strap monitoring device is more accurate. But in regards to accuracy. Up until now, I haven't had anything to compare with the BikeBrain app. What would you consider the most accurate means of monitoring a ride? Is the BikeBrain app a good reliable source, or would you suggest a bike computer from say Garmin, as an example?
> 
> ...



When it come to HR monitoring, no device is extremely reliable, but it’s generally accepted that chest straps are the better device. They monitor the electrical signals that fire your heart beat, but even these can be interefered with it they slip, sweat and even the static from a sports top can mix them up.

In short, they’re fine for leisure use, but don’t get too worked up about bizarre readings. Sometimes I get readings when running over 200bpm, or below 60bpm, but a quick manual check should be enough to assure you that you’re not in the verge of collapse.

A chest strap paired to your phone will be fine - the app won’t matter much. 

Bike computers won’t be necessary.


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## Rockn Robin (23 Aug 2018)

Tin Pot said:


> When it come to HR monitoring, no device is extremely reliable, but it’s generally accepted that chest straps are the better device. They monitor the electrical signals that fire your heart beat, but even these can be interefered with it they slip, sweat and even the static from a sports top can mix them up.
> 
> In short, they’re fine for leisure use, but don’t get too worked up about bizarre readings. Sometimes I get readings when running over 200bpm, or below 60bpm, but a quick manual check should be enough to assure you that you’re not in the verge of collapse.
> 
> ...


Thank you for that interesting information. That’s nice to know that I don’t have to concern about the phone app. Perhaps I will just go along as I always have.


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## PaulSB (27 Aug 2018)

Rightly or wrongly I've always been of the view amateur HR monitoring is about relative values rather than precise ones. I'd expect a medical situation to be accurate, something I wear on a bike less so.

Following a heart attack in October 2015 I've taken more interest in my HR. I know the value I expect my Vivoactive to show under most circumstances and would only worry if there was regular variation from this norm.

For example on a flat group ride at 16avg I expect an HR of 115. Add a headwind and it will increase to 130. If this altered significantly and frequently then I would be concerned.

These devices are always going to give bizarre readings on occasion. Last week I hit 190 - never been above 170 before. A few months ago the device was showing 145-150 under circumstances I expect to be 120. This lasted for more than two hours. I mentioned it to the CCU nurse I was riding with. She responded "you don't look like you're dieing!"

Use these devices for comparison, don't get hung up on it and certainly don't worry about wild fluctuations.

Garmin are good but in my experience the more features one turns on the more likely the device is to throw a wobbly. The software menus lack logic. I only use mine for navigation these days, this it does superbly. Battery life is chronically awful. I have an 810.

I bought a Wahoo Elemnt recently but not enough experience to comment. First impressions are positive. I'll be upset with my cycling buddies if it's not as good as they all say!!!

In my view a device designed to do a job will always be superior to one which tries to cover all bases or simply is an add on. As an example a friend I walk with always goes further using her step counter mobile app than I do using a GPS device tracking our actual route. I know which one I trust.


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## Spoons47 (6 Sep 2018)

nickAKA said:


> Yes, the Garmin units are super reliable, better than phone aps like strava etc.
> I have plenty of mates who use strava but generally once they've been at it for a while they get a standalone unit for a variety of reasons, mainly accuracy but also due to mysteriously 'lost rides' which is infuriating. You'll always get discrepancies between different kit, especially elevation so don't get too hung up on that as I think the biggest issue there is the GPS accuracy. I swapped to a wahoo elemnt bolt from a vivoactive watch & a lezyne macro GPS purely due to battery life on long rides, so consider that before you take the plunge on anything.
> I personally would recommend all 3 I've used - Garmin, Lezyne & Wahoo - they all do a great job at a range of prices. I bought an ANT/bluetooth chest strap from Decathlon for £30 and that's been great, not a fan of wrist monitors (my old one was hopeless) and bought speed & cadence sensors.
> The latest Lezyne units look to be stunning value.



Another vote for the Decathlon chest strap monitor. It works seamlessly with the Apple Watch and updates in real time. Once you pair it, it connects automatically within seconds.


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## nickAKA (6 Sep 2018)

Spoons47 said:


> Another vote for the Decathlon chest strap monitor. It works seamlessly with the Apple Watch and updates in real time. Once you pair it, it connects automatically within seconds.



I've been through a couple of batteries in the last 12 months so I always keep a couple of spares handy, but that aside, it's been flawless.


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## iancity (8 Sep 2018)

Have a read of any of DC Rainmakers reviews of wearables. He goes into great detail why wearables are great at measuring heart rate, just not when cycling. Loads of graphs and data he presents show the measurements way off, and recommends a chest strap if you want the numbers to be anywhere near reliable.

having said that, he also seems quite impressed with the Ionic https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/08/fitbit-ionic-gps-smartwatch-all-the-details.html


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## cyberknight (9 Sep 2018)

I am in the market for a newer gps unit at x mas maybe.
Currently run a garmin edge 200 + 500
Now a lot of the new units offer stuff i dont really have a need for so can anyone recommend anyunits please?
I need .
cadence
breadcrumb trail
bigger screen than the 200/500

not interested in
live segments
linking phone 

Would be nice to be able to use my current ant+ sensors but willing to change if necessary ,


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## avsd (9 Sep 2018)

@cyberknight - the old Garmin 520 which are on clear-out offers around £190 might suit your needs. No sure if the screen will be big enough but I have found my 520 to have great battery life 8+ hours and very reliable.


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## PaulSB (9 Sep 2018)

@cyberknight I would recommend the Wahoo Elemnt. It does more than you are asking for but those functions can be ignored/turned off. It does also connect to your phone and I've found this extremely good for transferring routes from Ride With GPS. It has other functions which work with a mobile but again can be ignored/turned off.

To date my Wahoo has been faultless, great battery life, chevron trail easy to follow, simple to use and allows me to view the data I want, when I want. Everything my Garmin 810 is not.

As a company Garmin must be very concerned they now have serious, quality competition at a competitive price.


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## tom73 (9 Sep 2018)

+1 Elemnt love mine , never had a problem it works out the box from the start and like @PaulSB the bit's you don't want just turn them off. Only time you really need to connect your phone if that's not for you is to set up what into you want to see (though you can switch between stuff that what you want to see on the unit if you out a ride) the units you want use and to sync data to 3rd party site's or see your ride data in a bit more detail all from a simple to use app. it works just fine on a ride with out it being linked to it. (i use it like that most of the time) It's ant+ compatible a few 3rd partly sensors won't work check out the site it has a full list. Saying that if it come's to it the bundle is good value. I ended up getting one easy set up and fitting quality is good too I did have a small issues with the heart rate one but a new battery has fixed it.


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## cyberknight (9 Sep 2018)

PaulSB said:


> @cyberknight I would recommend the Wahoo Elemnt. It does more than you are asking for but those functions can be ignored/turned off. It does also connect to your phone and I've found this extremely good for transferring routes from Ride With GPS. It has other functions which work with a mobile but again can be ignored/turned off.
> 
> To date my Wahoo has been faultless, great battery life, chevron trail easy to follow, simple to use and allows me to view the data I want, when I want. Everything my Garmin 810 is not.
> 
> As a company Garmin must be very concerned they now have serious, quality competition at a competitive price.


Unfortunately a bit more than I would get at X mas even if I asked for cash from everyone


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## tom73 (9 Sep 2018)

cyberknight said:


> Unfortunately a bit more than I would get at X mas even if I asked for cash from everyone



Right ok maybe one other other models maybe in reach the website let's you compare them. Can always look on eBay they do come up but not in big numbers. I got mine that way brand new never and been out the box.


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## cyberknight (9 Sep 2018)

And has loads of stuff I don't need,can't see the point of paying for them to turn them off


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## nickAKA (10 Sep 2018)

cyberknight said:


> And has loads of stuff I don't need,can't see the point of paying for them to turn them off



Have a look at the lezyne macro GPS if you're on a tight budget, what stock remains is very well discounted. Doubt there'll be many around in time for christmas though, retailers are clearing them out now.


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## cyberknight (10 Sep 2018)

nickAKA said:


> Have a look at the lezyne macro GPS if you're on a tight budget, what stock remains is very well discounted. Doubt there'll be many around in time for christmas though, retailers are clearing them out now.


i was looking at the super gps i believe the macro uses Bluetooth only sensors


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## Drago (10 Sep 2018)

My Vivoactive HR is very close when compared to my pulse oximeter, so I'm happy with that.

For recording purposes though a proper GPS unit bests the phone every time, because of the way phones use a secondary algorithm which uses cell sites as well as the GPS signal, which simply isn't as accurate. That said, some modern phones really have closed the gap to the point that the difference is really not worth worrying about.


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## nickAKA (10 Sep 2018)

cyberknight said:


> i was looking at the super gps i believe the macro uses Bluetooth only sensors



I *think* all the latest versions do Bluetooth & ant+ but I'd need to check - the generation I bought (v2) were certainly Bluetooth only.


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## nickAKA (10 Sep 2018)

It's buried in the detail but it does say ant+ compatible here, and at that price it's a lot of functionality for the money -

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lezyne-Macro-GPS-Navigate-Computer_99081.htm


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## Red17 (29 Sep 2018)

Drago said:


> My Vivoactive HR is very close when compared to my pulse oximeter, so I'm happy with that.
> 
> For recording purposes though a proper GPS unit bests the phone every time, because of the way phones use a secondary algorithm which uses cell sites as well as the GPS signal, which simply isn't as accurate. That said, some modern phones really have closed the gap to the point that the difference is really not worth worrying about.




I like my gadgets and recently bought a Garmin Vivosport wrist fitness tracker. Generally seems pretty consistent with a chest strap in normal use, but I've found the heart rate tracker very inaccurate at high intensity ie compared to my chest strap it gave a 130's ave heart rate during a cx race where as the chest strap recorded a mid 170 bmp average. Seen the same sort of difference wearing both on a turbo trainer doing interval sessions. Not sure quite why there is this difference, could be something to do with position on the wrist I suppose.


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## iancity (29 Sep 2018)

iancity said:


> Have a read of any of DC Rainmakers reviews of wearables. He goes into great detail why wearables are great at measuring heart rate, just not when cycling. Loads of graphs and data he presents show the measurements way off, and recommends a chest strap if you want the numbers to be anywhere near reliable.
> 
> having said that, he also seems quite impressed with the Ionic https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/08/fitbit-ionic-gps-smartwatch-all-the-details.html



Posted this earlier in the thread. Have a read of any of DC Rainmakers reviews of wearables and he explains why they are not up to scratch when it comes to cyling, as you have noticed...


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## mustang1 (30 Sep 2018)

It's probably already mentioned (I'm late to the thread) but afaik, a chest strap is far more accurate than a wrist-based device. In addition, I think you need to calibrate so you have to go thru a workout routine where you can enter your rest and peak heart rates?


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