Coros Dura – Bike Computer – Coming June 17th, 2024
More: Coros DURA Launched with specs and opinions
I spoke with Coros a couple of months ago and it was pretty confident that it was on target to release a bike computer in June. We’ve just had it confirmed with a YouTube video and the date is June 17th.
New coros Dura bike computer. Will coros nail it or fail it? https://t.co/0ieFT6UY79
— the5krunner (@the5krunner) May 30, 2024
As you can see from the video’s thumbnail image below, it has an unusual shape and maybe one of the company’s favourite crowns on the side (hmmm!!). If you watch the short video through to the end you will also see imagery suggesting a front-facing LED light. I’ve added my thoughts at the end, please add some more in the comments.
More Images via Freddy Ovett
More: Strava Pro (Freddy Ovett via @Debugger)
These images confirm the crown and a stretched-out rectangular shape. Also noticeable is the screen area which might not go to the top of the case, perhaps because of an LED light underneath or solar panel.
Coros Say
We have often been asked when we would create a bike computer.
While we have always been passionate about cycling, we didn’t want to develop a new head unit without creating something different.
We are proud to announce COROS DURA, the ultimatecycling adventure and training companion. [Coros]
This wording lets you draw the inferences that it will have maps and navigation (for adventure) and indoor trainer/training plan compatibility (training companion)
Other Intel
It seems that there is a claimed battery life of 90 hours boosted by a relatively large solar panel! with one long-distance cyclist doing that much riding without yet charging it. (via Cycling Weekly)
Might it not be a normal bike computer? Instead, a device that can mirror the Coros app on your smartphone, a bit like Wahoo RFLKT+ from a decade ago? That would build on some software that coros recently released that mirrored the watch to a handlebar-mounted smartphone.
Thoughts
It’s a bit ugly, isn’t it?
This is an exciting move by Coros. Potentially the most interesting new product for a long time.
More: Watch Screen Mirror to iPhone
Will Coros succeed where companies like Polar failed? eventually having to retrench back to selling only sports watches.
It might seem like a huge leap in the dark from a technological perspective but it’s reasonable to assume that Coros can port across much of existing watch functionality to a bike computer format. That should be relatively straightforward. I would expect difficulties to come in designing the bike computer: Will it be sufficiently waterproof? Will the touchscreen (if any) work adequately? Will it pair with ANT+/FE-C sensors? Will the mount be Garmin-compatible and sufficiently sturdy? Will the buttons work well through gloves? all those questions and more.
Ultimately there are several cheaper bike computer brands struggling to make headway into Western markets – iGSPORT, Magene, Bryton and Coospo spring to mind. Simply offering a reasonably well-featured and cheap bike computer is NOT enough to succeed. Of course, none of those companies have decent market positions and awareness in other sports like Coros. But to do well with a cycling product comparable to the Coros Vertix watch, Coros will have to either find a niche just like the Vertix found the Climbing niche or do new & advanced features well…it will struggle to do the latter at launch so, as dcrainmaker says in a similar article to this, ‘niche’ might simply be ‘people who already own a Coros watch‘ and they are generally a price sensitive bunch. Perhaps a more likely target for Coros will be the long-distance cycling community, gravel-based ultra-type explorers, that kind of thing.
But Coros iterates quickly, so whatever they decide to do, expect sparks to fly for a few years in the bike computer market!
I’m unsure if Shimano will like the product name! It is very similar to Dura-Ace, which is trademarked.
Q: Why has coros announced now?
A: They want to grab the email of those interested before launch. Coros is one of several brands that try to fulfil all initial orders directly, hence more profitably. That’s a great strategy for Coros but less helpful to the company’s distribution/retail partners.
Differentiators – these maybe?
- $200 price tag? hmmm
- Huge battery life, boosted by solar.
What do you think?
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I‘m very excited about this! At the moment using my Edge is the only reason I stay with Garmin Connect. In any other situation Coros delivers everything I need and I sold my Fenix months ago. While the navigation on the Apex 2 is good enough for running needs I hope they succeed in doing way more on the bike side here. To me this will be the most important aspect if I could make the total move to Coros.
If anything, I can’t wait for them to disrupt the power meter market. They cost way way too much.
there are good companies like Magene and 4iii that do super cheap stuff
i’m looking to get a factory install latest gen 4iiii on a dura ace crankset i have here very soon. cheap as chips. (well, expensive chips but cheap for PMs). just get a left-only crank it’s all you need really
I fervently hope that Polar and Wahoo notice that they are pushing themselves out of the market by no longer offering a bicycle computer and a watch respectively. They should start working together, like Suunto and Hammerhead do…
Yep, totally agree. I’ve got a Polar M460 (and an Edge 510) and it’s been really great. Polar make great gear, just a shame they sometimes don’t seem to realise it.
Ha! My first thought was: “Polar, you seeing this?!”
Maybe I think it’s easier than it acutally is but I would think that as a GPS sportswatch maker (with maps now), you got all the stuff and know-how already for a bike computer. Plus you got more space to work with than with a watch.
Also where else would you branch out to? A dedicated golf watch? Indoor gym bikes? A subscription based ring?
Wonder if Coros will go the Pace 2/3 route for it. Would make the most sense to me if the want to make inroads in the market.
From these photos on Freddy Ovett’s Strava it looks like it has quite small display (compared to unit size) and probably some huge solar panel above it?
https://shorturl.at/YM9UF
https://shorturl.at/YKXOA
ooooh. thank you
That crown sure will be glove friendly alright! And with that amount of black space around the display Coros will play their trademark long battery life card but that look sure won’t sway the majority and certainly not the fancy cyclists whose socks cost more than my entire kit.
Ha cyclingweekly fell for the Coros office in the USA thing too: “…the Irvine, California-based company…”
🙂
Excuse me sir: would you like some bike computer with your Digital Crown.
It certainly IS big.
Yes I restrained myself from talking about image conscious cyclists and the liklihood they will buy one of these. taht said you would have though a watch is more a improtant accessory than a bike computer when it comes to aesthetics. but judging by the average Garmin Watch Face, I guess not.
Irvine…yes. quite!!
technically correct…but…
Or would you like some display with your solar panel. 😉
Anyhoo, I am excited about Coros’ entry in the bike computer market because they gotta have something more up their sleeve than just the crown and battery longlivity.
Also hoping that it will make Wahoo and Polar thinking about sportwatches and bike computer again respectively!
I wonder if Bryton would do better if they did the Coros thing and posed as a japanese brand for example.
🙂
Polar is out of market, i LOVE polar but the true IS the true.
Well 2 years ago we all would or actually have said the same about Suunto and I think we can agree that Suunto are back.
But yeah, currently Polar aren’t looking too good.
I can tell you that todays trend for aero will kill it because that crown will slow then down by .0000034 mph
DCR’s “hands-on” must be very painful for Coros to read.
It’s hard to see what the true USP of the device is, other than if you’re a Coros watch user wanting tech all in one brand.
yes ! It seems odd that a few otehr reviewers spent quite a bit of time on this. Well, I hguess they were doing as expected. But Coros don’t seem to ahve realised that it’s a PITA to keep content up to date and it likely wont happen in many cases. those bad review will stay there forever! I’ll post mine when the product is worth you buying.
hopefully I answered that above though 😉 its the battery life.
otherwise there are novelties like the digital crown which is unique but not really a USP that wil lmake anyone buy it (as much as they will find it highly usable and enjoyable once purcahsed)