COROS’ First Bike Pc, the DURA

COROS rolls into biking in the present day with the DURA, the model’s first foray into bike computer systems. This appears logical, as a lot of its wrist-mounted merchandise, with just some extra features, would perform properly as biking computer systems if they’d larger readouts and have been on the handlebar as a substitute of the wrist.

I acquired a pre-launch pattern, however I’ve solely ridden with it 3 times. This First Look assessment relies on about 5 hours of gravel using. I’ll have a extra complete assessment additional down the street.

In brief: The COROS DURA brings the model’s well-regarded journey watch attributes, particularly amongst path runners, to the handlebar. Amongst these is unimaginable battery life, bolstered by photo voltaic charging. The DURA additionally introduces a novel method to controlling the varied screens whereas using. A dial is the first management level, and it delivered a singular tactile expertise whereas monitoring efficiency on the go. Nonetheless, there have been a number of issues on my pre-release pattern, however COROS acknowledged it might handle most of them for shopper variations.

Legendary Battery Life

COROS wrist computer systems benefit from the status of getting unimaginable battery life, and certainly, the Vertix 2S watch hasn’t upset me in that regard for the few months I’ve examined it. I count on the identical from the COROS DURA.

COROS claims the DURA biking laptop follows swimsuit and can run 120 consecutive hours with full GPS on a single cost. The model additionally boasts a 70-hour life whereas navigating by way of two frequencies (with out photo voltaic assist). In response to the model, the COROS DURA’s photo voltaic panels add as much as 2 hours of journey time for each hour of direct solar publicity.

This claimed battery life is regardless of a 2.7-inch MIP colour touchscreen that proved vivid sufficient to decipher simply, even in direct Texas solar. The backlight is adaptive, adjusting display brightness to match the sunshine circumstances, serving to lengthen battery life.

COROS DURA Connectivity

Though viewing real-time efficiency knowledge and navigational cues is necessary, biking computer systems’ connectivity to different apps and the ensuing expanded performance and efficiency knowledge are equally helpful.

I’ve discovered the COROS app very helpful with the model’s different merchandise, so I count on the identical with the DURA. Riders can create routes with the native app or obtain them from fashionable biking route apps like Strava, Journey with GPS, and Komoot.

In response to the model, pairing DURA with a COROS watch provides extra complementary knowledge concerning efficiency, sleep, restoration, stress, and HRV metrics. I’ve been doing this for the brief interval I’ve had the DURA, and I can attest that the extra knowledge has proved fruitful in programming my coaching.

COROS additionally contains its full coaching platform, COROS Coaching Hub, with the DURA, and it doesn’t require a subscription. I didn’t check this characteristic in the course of the First Look assessment interval.

What About Sturdiness?

Biking computer systems take a beating, particularly on gravel and mountain bikes. They need to stand up to limitless mud on gravel, potential impacts with branches on mountain bikes, fixed vibration, and occasional crashes on any bike. In addition they can get soaked with sweat and rain (the DURA is IP67-rated), and I journey in circumstances starting from about 40 levels to over 100.

I’ve beat the crap out of the COROS VERTIX 2 wrist laptop and am doing the identical with the VERTIX 2S. Each watches have confirmed to be as much as the duty, which isn’t any small feat. From bouldering and mountain climbing to mountain climbing in Alaska, these COROS merchandise haven’t missed a beat. I count on the identical from the DURA.

COROS enlisted the assistance of notable off-road endurance cyclists to make sure the DURA’s longevity. These embody Haley Smith, Cole Paton, Freddy Ovett, Hannah Otto, and Amity Rockwell. The DURA has survived the Traka 360, the current Unbound 200 gravel endurance assessments, and the Nové Město Mountain Bike World Cup.

COROS DURA: First Look Assessment Impressions

As acknowledged, I acquired the COROS DURA in time to journey it 3 times for about 5 hours in complete, all on tough gravel. To this point, I’m impressed.

Connecting Equipment

I’ve had points connecting different biking computer systems with the varied devices cyclists have a tendency to gather. This bike laptop paired with among the gadgets I journey with straightaway with out situation.

I linked my Suunto coronary heart fee strap, CORE physique temperature sensor, and Garmin Varia radar gadget simply (it’s supposedly additionally suitable with Shimano digital drivetrains.)

It didn’t join with my 4iiii energy meter or SRAM Purple AXS drivetrain (it’s additionally supposedly suitable with Shimano drivetrains).

Each time I uploaded my journey on the COROS DURA to the app, it routinely shared knowledge with the Vertix watches.

The COROS states the DURA helps as much as 12 simultaneous connections with Bluetooth (it’s additionally ANT+ suitable).

Battery Life

The DURA battery drained at a snail’s tempo. The display has needed to be super-bright, because the rides have largely been in direct daylight. However that robust photo voltaic power was additionally seemingly recharging the battery concurrently. After three rides, the battery life proportion loss was 2%.

Given my experiences with its watches, I really feel that COROS has the battery life sport down. Though my testing up to now has been minimal, I imagine the DURA will inherit the identical phenomenal single-charge period that the COROS watches ship.

That Dial

The shortage of buttons was instantly noticeable. There is just one “normal” bodily button on the decrease proper facet of the DURA, which powers up the unit and acts because the “again” and “lap” button.

I toggled all the things else virtually solely with the distinctive dial on the precise facet. This dial might be depressed and spun, and it’s the primary management level for the DURA. The touchscreen functionality wasn’t utilized a lot.

I instantly favored the dial. I sweat loads, and far of the time, my fingertips are additionally coated in sunscreen from making use of it elsewhere. Generally, they’re so slippery I can’t tighten the BOA dials on my footwear.

The tactile sensation of the comparatively massive dial, each when pushing and spinning it, was safer than diminutive buttons. I additionally didn’t have to modify arms to press buttons on reverse sides of the pc, which is frequent with different biking computer systems.

The one nitpick was the dial spun with out a lot resistance. I’d have most popular extra resistance or “clicks” to offset bumpy terrain. Generally, in rougher, sooner sections, I spun the dial too far and needed to spin it the opposite solution to get to the display setting I desired.

As a substitute of a button scrolling by means of total preset pages, the DURA dial allowed partial scrolling by means of rows of information. For instance, if I selected to have my pace up prime and my coronary heart fee was on the second row, I may scroll the wheel to position the center fee on prime and produce up another row of information on the backside. I didn’t need to “flip the web page” totally, so there was extra flexibility in viewing real-time knowledge.

I additionally thought preserving the exercise time fixed on the backside of the web page made excellent sense, whatever the different knowledge.

Navigation

My navigational wants have been minimal in the course of the First Look testing interval, however the pre-release COROS DURA five-band GPS twin frequency navigation system confirmed some flaws.

First, fairly a number of “normal” biking navigation options have been absent in my early pattern. These included avenue names or factors of curiosity on the gadget maps, integration with Journey with GPS, turn-by-turn navigation, a “climb” characteristic, reside rerouting, climate knowledge, location on the gadget, Strava reside segments, and lap abstract knowledge.

COROS claims that the majority of those shall be rectified or added at launch or quickly thereafter. Nonetheless, one necessary omission shall be reside rerouting. Cyclists will want a mobile or Wi-Fi connection and use the COROS app to vary the route mid-ride.

This could possibly be a deal-breaker for some adventuresome sorts who repeatedly discover themselves in areas with out cell service. Even with cell service, rerouting was primarily based on Google Maps, which frequently doesn’t acknowledge or counsel gravel roads.

COROS plans to supply rerouting performance for offline maps, which can appease a few of these people. Nonetheless, the shortage of reside on-device rerouting was a obtrusive gap within the DURA characteristic checklist to me.

As a result of this lack of pre-release options, I discovered the COROS DURA’s navigational talents below par in comparison with different biking computer systems. On my pre-launch pattern, “navigation” was nothing however a highlighted line on a map. However once more, COROS goals to remediate most of this briefly order.

COROS DURA Type Issue

The three.9″ x 2.4″ x 0.6″ dimensions of the COROS DURA hit a candy spot for me. A few of the biking computer systems I’ve examined have the smaller total measurement I are likely to desire. However then, the display was not as usable for navigation and required numerous zooming out and in to make sure I understood the place I used to be. A lot of the higher floor of the DURA homes the photo voltaic panel, however I discovered the display measurement ample for navigation.

Different computer systems with bigger screens have been good to make use of whereas navigating, however the massive kind issue appeared inclined to wreck in a crash or was only a bigger goal for trailside vegetation to hit on a mountain bike. COROS hit the right center floor for me for each display measurement and total measurement, and I felt that the photo voltaic panel addition was price the actual property.

One facet of the shape issue that was regarding was the pc mount interface. Though it did “lock” in place on my Okay-Edge Garmin laptop mount, it felt a lot looser than on different biking computer systems.

I by no means launched the DURA off the mount throughout my gravel rides, however each time I mounted it, I did give it some thought. COROS has reportedly mounted the difficulty with the patron model.

The COROS DURA is a light-weight; my pre-launch pattern weighs a verified 98 g.

COROS App

With the COROS Vertix and Vertix 2S, I’ve actually loved the COROS App for the iPhone. It’s been one of many extra simple apps, and I’ve by no means needed to seek the advice of something to customise watch screens or assessment knowledge post-activity.

Utilizing the app with the COROS DURA was the identical. Knowledge reliably and routinely transferred from the biking laptop to the app, and reviewing post-ride knowledge was easy and intuitive.

I’ve a kinesiology diploma and have been a private coach to skilled athletes for over 2 many years. I discovered the depth of information obtainable for assessment lots for nearly anybody. From occasions, speeds, elevation, energy, and coronary heart fee zones to coaching and restoration scores, the COROS DURA and app happy my data-driven tendencies.

I believe any additional knowledge may induce paralysis by evaluation for somebody like me. And as compared with different biking computer systems and apps, the info appeared totally dependable.

One notable omission from the COROS app is social media connectivity, however that didn’t hassle me in any respect. One other is long-term bodily pattern monitoring, however once more, this didn’t register as a unfavorable for me both, as I try this by means of totally different means.

First Look Conclusions on the COROS DURA

I believe COROS fared remarkably properly in its first try at a biking laptop. Most biking computer systems, from the same old suspects, can show no matter knowledge a bike owner may ever need. The noticeable variations to me are battery life, ease of use whereas using, navigation capability, and post-ride knowledge evaluation.

The COROS DURA carried out three of those admirably properly, and navigation needs to be up to date now or quickly. The one factor lacking from my private checklist of needs is the rerouting capability on the gadget, with out the necessity for cell service or Wi-Fi.

COROS aggressively costs the DURA at an MSRP of $249. This can be a nice value level for a color-display, multi-band biking laptop, and it seemingly appears aimed squarely on the fashionable $300 Garmin Edge 530.

I’ll proceed to check the COROS DURA on roads, gravel, and mountain bike trails. If COROS follows the monitor document of its different choices, updates shall be quite a few and frequent, promising continued enhancements. Search for a full assessment down the street.