Coros DURA [Opinion]

With an impressive cycling debut, Coros DURA could leap ahead of the also-ran GPS bike computers. Except it’s not working properly and is unavailable today (17 Jun). I’ll review it when it’s ready. Here are some thoughts for now just for general entertainment (don’t buy it…at least not until you’ve seen a proper review).

Who is Coros DURA aimed at?

Historically, Coros has bundled lots of headline features into either a cheap case at a cheap price (Pace) or a high-quality case at a reasonable price (Vertix, Apex). It has either genuinely innovated with features (Track Mode) or targeted niche markets (climbing, Vertix). There are some differences this time around with DURA and these are the most promising targets for the company:

• First-time bike computer buyers – the price-feature combo of DURA is quite good.
• Existing Coros watch owners will be attracted to having all their activities on the one Coros app, some might ditch perfectly good bike computers to do this
• Super-long adventure cyclists who need the longest battery life
• Cyclists who don’t want to worry about charging yet another electronic cycling device

What are the key features of Coros DURA?

If we ignore some of the more niche innovations announced today, I’ll say that the key features are those that will specifically win the sale for Coros. Specifically, that means the 120-hour battery life, solar boost potentially providing endless power in the Summer, and the wealth of insights already offered by the app.

But more than that, Coros have some highly interesting talking points:

• Digital crown – these never look good even on watches but they do function excellently. It never hurt Apple with its Watch, did it?
• Novel, niche features like continuous ride saving to the smartphone app.
• Re-routing on your connected smartphone using Google Maps

What are the key limitations of Coros DURA?

Its looks are a factor. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course.  The case shape, digital crown and solar panel area are negative aesthetic factors. Then again. I suppose Wahoo bike computers aren’t the prettiest but they are my preference. We’re all different. If you like it…go for it.

Coros DURA Technical Specifications, Capabilities & Aspirations

If Coros delivers all of this working it’ll be a decent bike computer.

• 2.7-inch Memory-in-Pixel (MIP) touch screen. 400x240px
• Digital Crown plus one additional button
• Form Factor: 99.5 x 60.8 x 15.7mm. Weight: 97g (+44g for the mount)
• Space: 32Gb
• Water Proofing: IPX67
• Out-front Garmin mount
• Multi-channel GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS) + Dual-Frequency(L1+L5)
• Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth
• Sensors: 12xBLE sensors, ANT+, ANT+ including FE-C, Varia, Di2
• Onboard Sensors –  temperature, compass, baro-altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope
• Customizable screens including a split-screen display
• Live Tracking, Group Ride, Safety Alert, Crash Detection (planned)
• Free, basic on-device maps with re-routing intelligence from Google Maps via smartphone. No street names.
• Physiology/Performance Metrics – Yes, some (FTP, Recovery, training Load)
• Structured workout support – Yes
• Training plan support – Yes
• ClimbPro Support Yes when following a route
• 3rd Party App Integration – Yes (Strava, Komoot, TrainingPeaks, Ride With GPS, Relive, Final Surge, Decathlon)
• Claimed Battery life: 120 hours (70 hours in high accuracy mode)
• Charge Time: 2.5 hours
• Claimed Solar Boost should be greater than the exposure time ie forever power if in direct sunlight (2 minutes charge for every 1 minute of exposure)

Availability & Pricing

Coros target July 15th for shipping but that release date looks hopeful in the extreme. Well, hopeful if you want all those features working when you get it.

Price: US$249, 289€, £249GBP

Coros DURA Take Out

I can’t see this being ready until much later this year (2024)

Innovation is great, but this bike computer won’t shake up the market for Garmin and Wahoo on day one. Instead, its impact will align with the general progress of the company as it grows its sports tech presence. Don’t get me wrong; Coros is becoming a significant player among ultra runners, climbers, and those seeking a great value running watch. However, I’m unsure how many existing Coros customers want a bike computer, and I imagine it’s a subset of those who own a Pace Series watch—hence, a highly price-sensitive group.

The price is set to be US$250, which is probably fair but certainly not at the same bargain level as the Pace 2 was when it launched a few years back.