Coros Releases Significant, Market-Leading Support for STRYD
Coros has just announced extensive support for running power. And that doesn’t mean just simple support for STRYD, it goes beyond that as Coros now has the most extensive running with power support from any GPS watch covering running power training programs, structured workouts, power alerts and lots of power/form metrics.
There are a few caveats to those bold claims but Coros has done something impressive here. Of course, if you have no interest in running with power then it’s a ‘shrug’ moment.
Personally: I run with STRYD power on every run. Especially on near-breakthrough run and hill reps/intervals I take a good long look at my post-run power stats.
Background
Running with power has already taken some strong steps in the running market both for triathletes and pure runners alike. There is already a variety of choices ranging from Garmin’s free Running Power app, to Polar Vantage watches offering power calculated on the wrist and to pro lab users of RunScribe Pods. Coros too were playing the running power game with a pod of their own. Yet by far, the most serious player in the running power market is the STRYD pod; usually, a STRYD pod will usually be paired with a Garmin Forerunner/Fenix or with an Apple Watch but never forget that Polar and Suunto both offer decent support for STRYD, plus the standalone STRYD app is handy too. (Cheapest basic STRYD support is from Sigma with the iD.Tri)
For GPS sports watchmakers, the rules of this particular game seem to be that
- You offer STRYD support to serious ‘power runners’ with numerous running power features ranging from calibration to zones; and/or
- You offer a proprietary and free way to estimate running power with limitations that inhibit long term usage. Eventually, the runner will switch to STRYD or not use running power at all.
Thus to succeed in this market and retain power runners, the GPS watchmaker needs to offer a proper STRYD solution. Currently, Suunto offers basic support, Sigma even more so whereas Polar offers an experience that I have been able to work with for months-on-end. Garmin & Apple appear uninterested in specifically supporting STRYD and so STRYD has had to build their own ‘proper solution’ with CIQ and WatchOS apps, and they have done a great job especially with Garmin’s CIQ.
Let’s see where Coros fits in to all this.
Coros & Running Power Support
Coros now support all of the following kinds of ways of using running power on the Vertix, Apex Pro and Pace 2 models, with support for the Apex coming soon after.
- ‘full & native’ STRYD support
- STRYD CP/STRYD Power Zones
- Distance calibration
- A great range of power-averages
- A great range of STRYD-related gait metrics
- (Autosync with STRYD PowerCenter to follow)
- updated running power support for the proprietary Coros pod
- a new ability of Coros watches to calculate running power from wrist movements (like Polar Vantage, no pod required)
To put this in perspective, here’s what STRYD says about what Coros has done, “…this integration is unique and exciting because it will be the first complete native integration.” The context of what STRYD is saying there is that the Polar support for STRYD is properly native but incomplete and STRYD are happy that their Garmin integration is complete but not native.
This is unique
Coros: How do I set up my STRYD sensor?
Setting up STRYD on a Coros Watch is straightforward. Simply put, you only need to pair the device and wear it although, in reality, you will want to change some of your screens to show the STRYD metrics. Here’s where you first start to notice what’s different and great about the Coros implementation – it’s all there natively on the watch, no apps to install, everything is already waiting for you to use.
Power Metrics
Don’t forget these metrics will work with the Coros POD or the Coros wrist-power calculation too. In all cases for STRYD, these are on-the-watch manipulations of the raw power figure that is transmitted.
- Power
- 3s Avg. Power
- 10s Avg. Power
- 30s Avg. Power
- Lap Power
- Average Power
Other than Power Zones, that covers all it needs to regarding the display & manipulation of power whilst running.
Form and Other STRYD Metrics
A decision was taken on the recommendation of STRYD not to display all the STRYD metrics whilst running, consequently, those that you can display during a workout are similar to those in the Garmin environment, namely:
- Ground Time/Ground Contact Time
- Cadence (+avg, +lap)
- Stride Length (+avg, +lap)
- Stride Height/Vertical Oscillation
That’s a fair call, I guess. I never look at all these clever metrics in any case but some of you do.
Coros: How do I review my STRYD data?
There is some data available, post-workout, on your watch although you will be able to see much more on the Coros app. Thus the following metrics are recorded by Stryd and will display on charts in the COROS app post-workout.
- Pace/Distance
- Running Power
- Power Zone (only using STRYD’s Zones with the STRYD pod)
- Ground Time
- Stride Ratio
- Stride Height (same as Vertical Oscillation)
- Leg Spring Stiffness
- Form Power with FP ratio (Power to move your body in an of itself)
- Air Power (+/- change to running power caused by wind)
I’ve already been playing with the Coros app and it all works smoothly and you get some nice but basic charts like these for each STRYD workout.
Can I calibrate STRYD on my Coros?
A: Yup
It doesn’t look like there is an autocalibration performed by Coros. However, for many people, STRYD’s calibration is fine out of the box. If you are not happy with that, you can do a calibration run and enter the resulting Calibration Factor.
Calibration is a big issue for some and its initial omission by Polar annoyed runners who wanted STRYD because of the super-accuracy of the PACE figures it can produce.
Does Coros work with STRYD on my treadmill?
A: Yup
Pace ALWAYS comes from STRYD even if GPS is present, so Coros pace data always works on a treadmill. However, when it comes to DISTANCE you can choose from the GPS recording or the STRYD recording but if there is no GPS present (treadmill/tunnel) then STRYD’s distance recording is used.
With CV19 we’ve seen that working with STRYD indoors is an essential area that is now nicely supported.
Coros and 3rd part STRYD data analysis
Coros will be integrating with STRYD’s Power Center and sending data to it, plus the existing link to Training Peaks will be extended to cover STRYD Power data. These will be synced to PowerCenter when using a STRYD with COROS.
- Distance
- Pace
- Running Power
- Power Zone
- Form Power
- FP Ratio
- Ground Time
- Stride Ratio
- Stride Height (same as Vertical Oscillation)
- Stride Length
- Leg Spring Stiffness
- Air Power
- Cadence
My understanding is that your auto-calculated CP will be pulled back from PowerCenter.
If like me, you will want to send your data elsewhere via a manual Fit file export then you can do that. This part of the app is a little cumbersome but you can send a FIT file by email or drop it into an iOS DropBox. Either way, this is the data that’s included in the FIT File
- Distance
- Pace
- Running Power
- Form Power
- FP Ratio
- Ground Time
- L/R Balance
- Stride Ratio
- Stride Height (same as Vertical Oscillation)
- Stride Length
- Cadence
Structured Power Workouts & Training Programs
Wait. There’s more!
A coach can send you a calendarised running plan. That plan can have power-based workouts and you can automatically set the start date when you receive it and sync to your watch. Alternatively, you could create your own plan and your own complex, structured power workouts. Do you want ALERTS on the watch when you are executing a power rep and you stray off target?…you got it!
During your structured training run, the watch will display 3 coloured zones depending on your current performance compared to the plan – green (below target), blue (on target), red zone (over target). Once you hit the green/red zone, the watch also provides audio and vibration alerts.
Summary
This is a great, end-to-end implementation of STRYD and really lives up to the billing of the first complete and native running power solution. Coros has addressed the key issues, ranging from complex structured workouts, to indoor use, calibration and proper alerts.
What Coros has done here can, nevertheless, still be improved – sure, it can be made to look and work a bit better and maybe additional features like Polar’s Zone Lock could be added. My only material criticism is that getting the power data out of the Coros app needs to be improved. HOWEVER, at this stage, it is plain silly to make such criticisms as what Coros has DELIVERED TODAY is ahead of any of the other vendors.
Return to: Coros Apex Pro Review
Return to: Coros Pace 2 Review
Return to: Coros Vertix Review
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Very interesting for Stryd owners considering to jump ship from Garmin. But having your fitness data spread out on multiple platforms (ie Coros + GC, besides the Stryd website) is … let’s say less than ideal.
Not sure if I can get the Coros here in DK anyway (closest dealer is Outnorth.se, but they don’t have the Pace2 on their website yet), and pricing will be interesting as well.
new running gear ship form the uk…no probs in the EU area
Only for the next … 128 days, before the continent gets cut off again.
Do you know wether The new Training Plans from the Stryd Beta can be loaded onto the watch? What other import options are there to sync a plan? Could you fully bypass training Peaks for structured workout integration?
Blimey, this is what Garmin owners have wanted for years, it’s about time they started listening before they start losing customers…
yep.
Quick question. As I understand it, if you own the Coros Pod (that did advanced running metrics like the HRM Run/Tri for Garmin alongside Power) and you use it with your stryd, it will just pull the advanced running metrics from the Coros Pod and take Power and Stryd metrics from the Stryd and write it to the file.
But….
The new Wahoo Tickr-X also is doing advanced Running metrics which would write to a activity like a Run/Tri would in Garmin. If you say, used the Tickr-X with your Coros watch and Stryd pod, would Coros accept the Wahoo Advanced running metrics?
If you read below, i’m going back to Coros (hopefully for good now!) and picked up a Coros Pod, and I plan on using my H10 for HR, but if it dies one day and I could just use the Wahoo strap for the Advanced metrics, i’d do that.
let me get coros to answer this question.
Hi Justin, thanks for the question. We don’t allow pairing of both a Stryd and a COROS POD to COROS watches at the same time. I haven’t personally tested the new Tickr X chest strap with the advanced running metrics. But if it uses standard ANT+ connection, you should be able to search and pair it on the COROS watch. However, it probably needs to be categorized as “POD” or similar instead of “HR Strap” for the watch to receive advanced running metrics. Only one running accessory can be paired at the same time. I’ll need to check with our team on the Tickr X running data compatibility.
David,
Thanks for the info. It’s a bummer that you can’t use the Coros pod in conjunction with Stryd, but it would be nice to have both usable at the same time. As for the latest tickr x and advanced running metrics, is there a barrier within the Coros ecosystem that can’t record the advanced running metrics from a chest strap? Garmin for example writes their advanced running metrics into the .fit from their HRM Tri/Run as well as writing Stryd data (via the Stryd CIQ app). As a returning user to Coros (long story), that would be a great addition.
Also David, while I got someone from Coros to answer things, Please, i’m begging you, please look into supporting MyFitnessPal? Having the info fed directly from Coros to MFP is a feature I would really like supported. Currently I use Strava free as a bridge to MFP from Coros to just get tracked activities into MFP. Also, MFP will export weight measurements to partners (like yourself) from third party scales (I use a Withings for example).
fitnesssyncer is a great bridge for health metrics…not free tho
No Coros support 😔
Just confirmed with our team and the TICKR X should work just fine with COROS regarding advanced running metrics. I’ll share your other feedback with the team. 🙂
David, you just made me very happy. And thank you for sharing the rest of my feedback, it is appreciated.
We apologize for the wrong information given earlier about the Wahoo Tickr X chest strap compatibility. Unfortunately, COROS doesn’t support the advanced running metrics from Wahoo Tickr X chest straps at the moment as the integration requires additional development. We may consider working on the support in the future.
Oh wow. I was all set to pull the trigger on a Fenix 6 pro later this year and then this thing drops. The only thing that’s killing me a little is the missing route functionality… but the Stryd integration looks fabulous and for 200 bucks I might be able to convince myself that I could get by without the routes.
Darn it, just when my mind was made up!
So, I own a F6 pro after owning a Apex Pro earlier this year (which I sold to go back to Garmin) and I sold it because of the lack of Stryd Support.
I just bought another Apex Pro (and their pod for the other running metrics) and plan on selling my F6pro to cover the costs.
There was next to nothing keeping me with Garmin other than that connection to Styrd (and to a lesser extent MyFitnessPal being integrated into Garmin). Every metric was sound on Coros. All day tracking made a ton of sense. I loved the ability to update GPS info to the watch within the app every week, Updates in the app were perfect, and the battery life was killer on the Apex Pro.
I’ve been done with Garmin’s nonsense for awhile now, between broken beta releases, awful implementation of updates due to their terrible beta testing system (which breaks more than it fixes), lack of information on updates, lack of response or communication when asking for help, exorbitant costs of products and really not great battery life on anything from them. I’ve been using Garmin nearly a decade, the only watch i’ve owned that had a great battery, was the FR935. Everything else? not good.
I honestly can’t wait for this watch now.
Justin, why are you waiting for the P2 watch when you have the A-Pro? What would the P2 give you that you don’t already have, apart from a decrease in watch weight?
I wasn’t? I currently own a F6 Pro and Just bought another Apex pro to return back to Coros.
30g less weight is always a plus (F6 Pro to the Apex Pro). But the weight difference between the Apex Pro and P2 for me is not that big of a deal for me. 59g on the AP is just fine. I was wondering if there was a newer Apex pro around the corner before picking up a new one. The P2 is feature rich but, the color choices on the P2 played a factor, it’s plastic which isn’t always a problem, but here I’m not sure. The Apex Pro is solidly build. Also longer battery life across-the-board and better ATM on the pro.
As for metrics, the pulse ox, altitude mode, breadcrumb nav and back to start options are only on the Apex Pro at least as it’s stated on Coros’ website.
Apex Pro looks tempting all right. What’s the display quality like compared to the F6Pro? My middle-aged eyes have issues with dim screens (one of several reasons I’m moving away from Suunto).
it’s a smaller screen for a start.
Coros are certainly not renowned for bright vibrant screens.
i find most watches are readable with the backlight on. to me the issue is more the SIZE of the text on the screen
It’s dimmer to be sure, and a tad smaller, but it’s semantics for me. The face was just fine first my go around.
let’s see if it gets the Mr P seal of approval.
It did already. Could Coros do with more backlight? Sure. I said this before to you; there’s a lot room for upward mobility with Coros both in the future with new devices and in current offering. I mean, look at how the implemented Styrd?
And Coros plays well with all 3rd party sensors. If I say, use my Polar H10 with my F6Pro for a workout, the HR data is right; everything else though is a mess. TE is a blocky mess, Cals are flat, and even the HR while correct is a bunch of squares. Using a Garmin Strap with Garmin Watches always yield better reports.
My AP comes tomorrow. I haven’t been this happy with a watch since, well, maybe the FR935 after the disaster the original Fenix 5 line was.
After the activity is synced to PowerCenter from the Coros app, which elevation source is shown? Is it from Coros Watch or Stryd sensor? What I understand for Garmin it is from Garmin, while for Polar it is from Stryd.
I’d like to know this too. The Stryd altimeter performs excellently on the routes I run and I wouldn’t want to forfeit it in my metrics.
Is the Power data reading from Coros Watch similar to that measured by Stryd? I noticed some reviewers mentioned there are different but they tracked similarly on graph. (i.e. at different levels but traces the same peaks and troughs).
Oh ya and I hate it with my Garmin 935 I don’t get to see any Power Data imported to Strava, with the Coros this is resolved? Can it also allow ‘buzz alert’ on min & max power ranges natively?
Thank you for the good write-up.
hi, good questions
1. yes some other reviewers say they are similar. I’ve not specifically tested coros vs stryd. not sure i intend to. coros cant take into account wind regardless of what anyone else might say. coros has probably not undertaken any meaningful scientific studies about their power accuracy,
2. garmin 935/strava – this is mostly the fault of strava. I am very hopeful that strava will soon enable power in running (currently it just messes up your bike stats which is why strava disabled it a while back)
3. native buzz…on coros…yes, garmin ciq-only
Pace2+H9+stryd
Has anyone tried this combination?
The reason I ask is:
-H9 supports bluetooth and ant+
-pace2 supports bluetooth and ant+ simultaniously
But how do I know which device uses ant+ and which one uses bluetooth?
And does it make a difference battery-power-wise/accuracy-wise?
Does it work flawlessly or are there some bugs?
Especially if I listen to music with wireless earpods(smartphone), there will be a lot of wireless connection in the air😆.
I wonder if this might cause any disturbances/interruptions.
in 2021 i dont think it matters, especially with the Pace 2 and its long battery life.
H9/H10 ARE accurate but perhaps still have battery life issues. If you use Polar Beat you can disable ANT+ transmission and just use BLE . that might save a bit of juice but, really, don’t bother.
FWIW: I prefer ANT+ for all sport HR usage. I use BLE on H10 every morning for super accurate HRV recording.