# 2.5 vs 2.7 tire sizes



## blooregard (Nov 1, 2009)

I have ridden several 2.5 tires ad I like the maxxis minions the best but my question is what size is best?


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

2.5" .... the 2.7s" roll slowwwww


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## Moosey (May 18, 2010)

i have a 2.7 up front and a 2.5 in the back. i bought the bike used and thats how it came set up. I rode my dads bike (2.5 front and rear) at northstar one time and wasn't as comfortable turning on it, but im not sure its due to tire size... but it could.


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## JamisonW (Apr 15, 2010)

If you're riding downhill (I doubt you'd be riding XC with those tires), 2.7 does make a big difference. I ride the same as moosey with 2.7 in front and 2.5 in back, and I swear those 2.7 minions have a gravitational attraction to the trail. But that's only if you value grip more than RR. They do roll slow but I don't pedal much so I don't mind. Find out what you feel most comfortable with!


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

it is awesome to roll the 2.7's and get a lot of grip.,....I LOVE THE 2.7 michelins....but I am now rolling the 2.4 Big Betty. I have shaved 3 pounds...think about that and also the bike accelerates faster....start trying to use smaller tires and lean the bike more


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## Twisted1 (Aug 24, 2010)

Not to go off topic but smt do the bb 2.4 run big?


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

JamisonW said:


> If you're riding downhill (I doubt you'd be riding XC with those tires), 2.7 does make a big difference. I ride the same as moosey with 2.7 in front and 2.5 in back, and I swear those 2.7 minions have a gravitational attraction to the trail. But that's only if you value grip more than RR. They do roll slow but I don't pedal much so I don't mind. Find out what you feel most comfortable with!


wow you can feel the gravitational pull. actually i sometimes ride a 2.7 in the rear and a 2.5 up front. i get to run low pressure and have better grip both in braking and cornering. i cant feel the gravitational pull. depends on corse. but i never ride a larger front than rear. imho i dont think you ever need to run a 2.7 front unless wet. there is no gain to run such a large front under dry condtions, its in your head. but you will see a difference doing it the other way around.


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

eride1 said:


> but i never ride a larger front than rear.


Well you're doing it wrong........


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

i remember when people ran 3' nokian tires up front with there zzyzx or hanebrink forks that made no sense. have you ever tried running it the other way around. just give it a try


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

try riding half day with a 2.7 rear and then switch to a 2.5 and see if you feel a difference in the braking power, grip and impact on hits. then try the same for the front another day, you wont feel squat. i dont care that thats been the way for years but with the way corse are built today, this is the future. no doubt its got a slower roll but not by much, you gain more in late braking and faster cornering. most of your weight is in the rear rolling through a burm in fact you front hardly touches the ground. other than off camber or big boulders. please enlighten me to why you run a larger front in today types of corses except for the fact that its old school thinking.


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## essenmeinstuff (Sep 4, 2007)

As to which tire size is best? It really comes down to terrain and personal preference...

Also, the older maxis casings run small (minions, highrollers etc), so their 2.7 is like most peoples 2.5's.

Basically narrow tires can dig deeper into loose/muddy material to find traction on the bottom, wide tires tend to float over soft/loose material due to lower contact pressure.

A narrow tire digging deep, has to displace a lot of material = more rolling resistance in loose terrain.
wide foot print tire floats over the top, so while it has more friction deforming the tire, this is far out weighed by not having to displace loose material.

Narrow tires that sink into loose material also tend to rail road, ie that in a rut feeling, where as a wide tire with float doesn't do that.

On hard pack a narrow tire has lower rolling resistance.

So yeah, preference... I prefer a wider tire, running RQ 2.4 front and back, not the ridiculous 3.0 gazas from back in the day, they have a place, and its on bikes that ride in snow lol.


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## blooregard (Nov 1, 2009)

from what i have heard and seen the minions tend to run small but that doesnt worry me so much. I think i will go with the 2.5 does anyone have compound suggestions im thinking a single ply exo 60a in the rear and a stickier dual ply exo 42a in the front?


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## JamisonW (Apr 15, 2010)

blooregard said:


> from what i have heard and seen the minions tend to run small but that doesnt worry me so much. I think i will go with the 2.5 does anyone have compound suggestions im thinking a single ply exo 60a in the rear and a stickier dual ply exo 42a in the front?


60a is the harder compound and does last longer. I have never ridden the 42a, but I'm assuming because its a softer rubber its grippier but doesn't last as long. I know that maxxis does make a 3C tire where the center of the tire is a 60a to give it longer life, and the edges are softer rubbers to give it grip. I've had one for a while and I like it, but its all about what floats your boat.


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## bear (Feb 3, 2004)

I rode a DHR 2.5 super-tacky for about six weeks last fall, 1-2 days on the weekend only. It was new at the start and shot at the end. Didn't mind as I got it on sale for <20 bones. Worked great, just not a tire for someone looking for a reasonable amount of mileage.


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## -bb- (Feb 3, 2005)

eride1 said:


> please enlighten me to why you run a larger front in today types of corses except for the fact that its old school thinking.


Well, let me go get my reading glasses and some fiber but here is my reasoning...
If you are going hard into a turn (non-bermed) I'd rather have my rear tire break loose first. If the front breaks loose before the rear you go DOWN.


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

2.5 front 2.35 rear in most conditions work mint.


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

-bb- said:


> Well, let me go get my reading glasses and some fiber but here is my reasoning...
> If you are going hard into a turn (non-bermed) I'd rather have my rear tire break loose first. If the front breaks loose before the rear you go DOWN.


well maybe you need to practice more. please dont tell me that you think the .2" wider rear difference is gonna make your front wheel scrub or better yet not allow your back to break loose when you need it to. i'm not trying to be mean, it's just that you dont know what your talking about, especially cause you havent even tried it.


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## jcook1989 (Mar 16, 2008)

eride1 said:


> try riding half day with a 2.7 rear and then switch to a 2.5 and see if you feel a difference in the braking power, grip and impact on hits. then try the same for the front another day, you wont feel squat. i dont care that thats been the way for years but with the way corse are built today, this is the future. no doubt its got a slower roll but not by much, you gain more in late braking and faster cornering. most of your weight is in the rear rolling through a burm in fact you front hardly touches the ground. other than off camber or big boulders. please enlighten me to why you run a larger front in today types of corses except for the fact that its old school thinking.


There is so much wrong with this post. I wouldn't know where to start. :thumbsup:


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

jcook1989 said:


> There is so much wrong with this post. I wouldn't know where to start. :thumbsup:


oh god another one. your the guy who crosses the street as soon as someone takes a step forward. please let me know whats wrong with it, really. its like the guy who makes remarks about bikes they havent tried.

dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking, same with street bikes the rear is wider and it doesnt offset the cornering. your braking is used hardest in the rear although most of the braking power is up front. you go through more rear tires than you do fronts.


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## drastic. (Nov 22, 2010)

Twisted1 said:


> Not to go off topic but smt do the bb 2.4 run big?


I measured mine. from edge to edge of opposing knobies, it was 2.4x", so true to size. It definately _looks_ bigger, but that's because the casings for Schwalbe's are HUGE.


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## illnotsick (Mar 28, 2011)

eride1 said:


> well maybe you need to practice more. please dont tell me that you think the .2" wider rear difference is gonna make your front wheel scrub or better yet not allow your back to break loose when you need it to. i'm not trying to be mean, it's just that you dont know what your talking about, especially cause you havent even tried it.


Obviously you've never participated in your own test. it makes a difference


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

eride1 said:


> have you ever tried running it the other way around. just give it a try


You sit down when you corner don't you?


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

Iggz said:


> You sit down when you corner don't you?


yeah thats what i do, youve seen me ride havent you


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## NorKal (Jan 13, 2005)

I run a 1.50 street tire on the front and a Surly Endomorph 3.7 on the rear cause I like the chopper look.


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

NorKal said:


> I run a 1.50 street tire on the front and a Surly Endomorph 3.7 on the rear cause I like the chopper look.


This guy must be from the future :skep:

hahahaha


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## jcook1989 (Mar 16, 2008)

eride1 said:


> oh god another one. your the guy who crosses the street as soon as someone takes a step forward. please let me know whats wrong with it, really. its like the guy who makes remarks about bikes they havent tried.
> 
> dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking, same with street bikes the rear is wider and it doesnt offset the cornering. your braking is used hardest in the rear although most of the braking power is up front. you go through more rear tires than you do fronts.


1. You sir are braking wrong.

2. Please don't assume something that works on a dirt bike will work equally well on a mountain bike. The bike tire on a dirt bike is wider because, unlike your mountain bike, there it a motor spinning it. The tire needs that extra traction to get the power down.

3. I wear out fronts faster then I do rears.

4. I'm starting to suspect you are a troll. :nono:

5. To the OP unless your running trails that are really soft and loose I wouldn't go bigger then a 2.5.


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## Thor Lord of Thunder (Jun 6, 2010)

Dude. Everyone has their tire preferences. Just get big ass tires because that's the kind of riding you do and figure them out. I've never had tires hold me back, just maybe throw me off until I figured out their sweet spots. 2.5 front and rear is perfect for every kind of riding.


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## Gilly32 (Mar 28, 2010)

Thor Lord of Thunder said:


> 2.5 front and rear is perfect for every kind of riding.


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## derby (Jan 12, 2004)

eride1 said:


> oh god another one. your the guy who crosses the street as soon as someone takes a step forward. please let me know whats wrong with it, really. its like the guy who makes remarks about bikes they havent tried.
> 
> dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking, same with street bikes the rear is wider and it doesnt offset the cornering. your braking is used hardest in the rear although most of the braking power is up front. you go through more rear tires than you do fronts.


Don't forget motoX bikes optimize cornering with much different wheel sizes... In the front with a TALLER-wheel with narrow short sidewall tire, balanced with a big volume tire but shorter wheel overall to optimize braking (and acceleration) in the rear.

I've tried larger front tires on the same size rims. The bigger tire's increased tire patch helps front traction. But a taller small volume tire in front like motoX bikes brings a bigger tire patch also, and increases the tire's edge bite for cornering.

DH bikes will be able to follow motoX with a taller smaller volume front tire with shorter sidewalls than the rear when 650b has top quality DH rims and tires. Many AM style trail riders are already using 650b in front with bigger volume rear 26" wheels.


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## wormvine (Oct 27, 2005)

eride1 said:


> dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking, same with street bikes the rear is wider and it doesnt offset the cornering. your braking is used hardest in the rear although most of the braking power is up front. you go through more rear tires than you do fronts.


I totally get this concept and am going to test this out myself. In the steeps, most of my braking is on the front tire and I try to straddle my seat a little to get as much rear traction as possible. And YES I get about 3 times the life out of my front tire than the rear. I rarely skid the rear and I use 42A compound in front and 60A compound in the rear. Oh, My other ride is a WR450F...



derby said:


> DH bikes will be able to follow motoX with a taller smaller volume front tire with shorter sidewalls than the rear when 650b has top quality DH rims and tires. Many AM style trail riders are already using 650b in front with bigger volume rear 26" wheels.


One thing to consider for a stronger 650b wheel is using a beefier rim and thicker gauge spokes. The trend now is to have sub 40lb bikes and that leaves little room for 650b strength improvements. I know its possible but you could make the wheel stronger just by beefing up the rim, spokes and hub. At a weight gain of course. I for one don't care if my DH bike weighs 45lbs. He*ll my dirt bike weighs 280lbs. 
I know there are ways to build a stronger wheel without the weight penalty but in this case I just don't care.


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## derby (Jan 12, 2004)

wormvine said:


> One thing to consider for a stronger 650b wheel is using a beefier rim and thicker gauge spokes. ...


Yes. Plus a beefy 650b tire, a big travel DH durable tire with double wall casing, which doesn't exist yet either. My opinion, a 650b front DH tire should be smaller volume, about 2.3 with a lower profile casing, not tall sidewalls. The bigger wheel radius allows much lower pressures without pinching.

The existing 650b 35mm wide P35 rim probably isn't strong enough for big travel bikes. Spoke eyelets would help a lot, and might qualify that rim for big travel DH use... if a DH tire existed for it.


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## essenmeinstuff (Sep 4, 2007)

eride1 said:


> oh god another one. your the guy who crosses the street as soon as someone takes a step forward. please let me know whats wrong with it, really. its like the guy who makes remarks about bikes they havent tried.
> 
> dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking, same with street bikes the rear is wider and it doesnt offset the cornering. your braking is used hardest in the rear although most of the braking power is up front. you go through more rear tires than you do fronts.


It is posts like yours post that make people say "oh god another one"...

Street bikes and dirt bikes have bigger tires on the back because there is an engine with way more HP than any human will ever make.

Look at the brakes on a 600 street bike, twin 300mm 4 pot disks up front, pi$$ ant little 160mm single pot rears which are more there for decoration and to keep the WOF guys happy than actual braking (which the engine does more than enough of).

Under hardest braking, 90-100% of it is up front.

Fat rear tires are there to get the 100's of pony's to the ground (thats an echo so it sinks in).

Like someone else said, dirt bike front wheel is larger diameter, which makes the contact patch larger even though the tire is narrower.

For a mountain bike, since we don't have 100's of hp, and braking dynamics are teh same as dirt/street bike, the rear tire can be smaller than the front with little detriment, it is still the front tire that needs the most traction, to steer and to brake.

If you're using your back brake mostly, quite simply you're doing it wrong and could be going a lot faster.


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## Gilly32 (Mar 28, 2010)

/\ Word :thumbsup:


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## eride1 (Oct 11, 2010)

all you guys are fools that doubt me. you make it seem like this is a new concept or something. i dont give a hoot what tire you ride was just given you my 2 cents. and you wonder why you guys never made it in life.


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

eride1 said:


> all you guys are fools that doubt me. you make it seem like this is a new concept or something. i dont give a hoot what tire you ride was just given you my 2 cents. and you wonder why you guys never made it in life.


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## 1+1 (Dec 20, 2006)

eride1 said:


> all you guys are fools that doubt me. you make it seem like this is a new concept or something. i dont give a hoot what tire you ride was just given you my 2 cents. and you wonder why you guys never made it in life.


I've tried riding with a wider rear and narrower rear, 2.5 and 2.8(michelin dh32). and it feels like crap. Front feels like it keeps wanting to wash out. Switched it the other way and it feels right. Now I run f/r 2.8 dh32 and I'm golden. And btw, the guy who told me to try it this way came from mx and not the smartest cookie on the block if you know what I mean.


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## eabos (Jun 11, 2005)

eride1 said:


> all you guys are fools that doubt me. you make it seem like this is a new concept or something. i dont give a hoot what tire you ride was just given you my 2 cents. and you wonder why you guys never made it in life.


That's cool if it works for you but can you not understand why people are doubting you? You are literally the ONLY person I have ever heard of that prefers a wider rear tire than front and it sounds like everyone else here has noticed the same. Secondly, you are questioning the physics of braking that are pretty much understood to be correct.

SO, maybe you are the only person around who "gets it", that's great, you're a freakin genius...don't hate on us little people who "never made it in life" we just can't think on your scary smart level :skep:


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## cesalec (Aug 28, 2008)

Twisted1 said:


> Not to go off topic but smt do the bb 2.4 run big?


Well Twisted1, lets put it this way, the 2.4" Big Betty is bigger than the 2.5" Minion...:thumbsup:


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## Transition Bikes!!! (Apr 19, 2011)

eride1 said:


> well maybe you need to practice more. please dont tell me that you think the .2" wider rear difference is gonna make your front wheel scrub or better yet not allow your back to break loose when you need it to. i'm not trying to be mean, it's just that you dont know what your talking about, especially cause you havent even tried it.


ok man here is the thing. when you corner without a berm you are suposed to weight your front tire to give it more bite and thus more traction. then you lean in as far as you dare and take the turn. now if your front tire doesnt have traction it'll slide out and your gonna eat it. if you didnt lean in so far you either couldn't carry in as much speed or you could try but you would fall outwards because of your inertia. so then you have your back tire. if something breaks free you want it to be your rear first and you can often recover if it does. so in the end you want as much traction in front as possible. you do this with a larger tire in front. nooowww sure you can do this in the rear but its not neccassary. you WILL notice a difference but not enough to make up for the extra weight and rolling resistance. 
SO THATS MY ANSWER!


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## Transition Bikes!!! (Apr 19, 2011)

eride1 said:


> dirt bikes have wider rears, i know its to help accelerate but doesnt cause the front to was and allows for late braking,


oh god. ok yes dirt bikes do that BUT like you said that helps with acceleration. the front isnt the widest because its WIDE ENOUGH everything doesnt need to be relative (well the rear is big so now the front needs to be bigger) so like you said the rear is large for acceleration


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## cesalec (Aug 28, 2008)

excellent description.


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## Transition Bikes!!! (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks


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## Quarashi (Aug 23, 2006)

eride1 said:


> well maybe you need to practice more. please dont tell me that you think the .2" wider rear difference is gonna make your front wheel scrub or better yet not allow your back to break loose when you need it to. i'm not trying to be mean, it's just that you dont know what your talking about, especially cause you havent even tried it.


I notice .2" difference, and of course the irrelevant matter of knobs themselves being larger.


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## AnimalBikeman (Jun 18, 2011)

Ohhh I love reading these old flame wars. Better than war movies. So much mud slinging and misery! Evil black knights and self appointed bike warriors in shinning armor - Jousting with insults and tire Truths instead of lances and swords! Wonderful and in the end, it doesn't mean s****.


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## techfersure (Dec 17, 2010)

2.35 front,2.25 rear for riding in the sweet spot for AM and tech to some ride park.in my neck of the woods we have significant loosey goosey rocks mixed with black dirt ,and roots.triple compounds and or sticky tires work best.


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## bluntrager (Jul 7, 2013)

eride1 said:


> try riding half day with a 2.7 rear and then switch to a 2.5 and see if you feel a difference in the braking power, grip and impact on hits. then try the same for the front another day, you wont feel squat. i dont care that thats been the way for years but with the way corse are built today, this is the future. no doubt its got a slower roll but not by much, you gain more in late braking and faster cornering. most of your weight is in the rear rolling through a burm in fact you front hardly touches the ground. other than off camber or big boulders. please enlighten me to why you run a larger front in today types of corses except for the fact that its old school thinking.


If you're front tire hardly touches the ground , then why wouldn't you want to maximize the available surface area for contact with it by using a 2.7 up front. Sounds to me like 2.7 front and rear is the ticket.


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## joppo (Sep 11, 2012)

funny thread, i read it all  got a little input here eride1 if its ok!

i used to ride motoX but now i only do dh, you dont ''really'' use the front wheel on mx to steer your bike so its better to have a small tire so you can ''cut'' the coners in the way you want.
in fact i steer just as much the oposite direction in corners with mx because you use throttle to controll your bike and leaning your bike and body, ALOT. thats why its a must with a wider tire in the back so you got the tracktion to corner 
my best comperison to ride a MX in the corner: its like riding a unicycle with handlebars. not the best description but i think its kinda like that

i feel the DH bike back tire is super stuck in the corner cuz you dont have a rear tire that is giving power and need tracktion, i like running both tires the same ('') + i can have shitloads of the same tires and they fit on the back and front. win, win for me.
but i def. would not go for bigger size on the back than front.

back to the breaking:
my trainer also said 90% of the brakes is front, we used to drive without back breaks just to learn to use the front breaks to the max. 

you should try that to if you use back break that much dude!! its very good training and remeber to take it easy in the beginning..

i bet i sound like a douchebag, but im just bored like crazy and got nothing better to do 
sorry bad english


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