COROS’ First Bike Pc, the DURA

COROS rolls into biking right this moment with the DURA, the model’s first foray into bike computer systems. This appears logical, as lots of its wrist-mounted merchandise, with just some extra features, would perform effectively as biking computer systems if they’d greater 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 overview is predicated on about 5 hours of gravel driving. I’ll have a extra complete overview additional down the highway.

Briefly: The COROS DURA brings the model’s well-regarded journey watch attributes, particularly amongst path runners, to the handlebar. Amongst these is unbelievable battery life, bolstered by photo voltaic charging. The DURA additionally introduces a novel strategy to controlling the assorted screens whereas driving. A dial is the first management level, and it delivered a novel tactile expertise whereas monitoring efficiency on the go. Nonetheless, there have been just a few considerations on my pre-release pattern, however COROS said it could tackle most of them for shopper variations.

Legendary Battery Life

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

COROS claims the DURA biking pc follows go well with and can run 120 consecutive hours with full GPS on a single cost. The model additionally boasts a 70-hour life whereas navigating through two frequencies (with out photo voltaic help). In keeping with the model, the COROS DURA’s photo voltaic panels add as much as 2 hours of trip time for each hour of direct solar publicity.

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

COROS DURA Connectivity

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

I’ve discovered the COROS app very helpful with the model’s different merchandise, so I anticipate the identical with the DURA. Riders can create routes with the native app or obtain them from common biking route apps like Strava.

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

COROS additionally consists of its full coaching platform, COROS Coaching Hub, with the DURA, and it doesn’t require a subscription. I didn’t take a look at this characteristic throughout the First Look overview interval.

What About Sturdiness?

Biking computer systems take a beating, particularly on gravel and mountain bikes. They have 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 trip in situations starting from about 40 levels to over 100.

I’ve beat the crap out of the COROS VERTIX 2 wrist pc 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 mountaineering in Alaska, these COROS merchandise haven’t missed a beat. I anticipate 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 checks, and the Nové Město Mountain Bike World Cup.

COROS DURA: First Look Assessment Impressions

As said, I acquired the COROS DURA in time to trip it 3 times for about 5 hours in complete, all on tough gravel. I up to date each the gadget and the app right this moment, and this overview consists of these updates. Thus far, I’m impressed.

Connecting Equipment

I’ve had points connecting different biking computer systems with the assorted devices cyclists have a tendency to gather. This bike pc paired with my iPhone and a number of the gadgets I trip with straightaway with out problem.

I linked my Suunto coronary heart price strap, CORE physique temperature sensor, SRAM Pink AXS digital drivetrain, Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 digital drivetrain, 4iiii energy meter, and Garmin Varia radar. It additionally linked to my COROS Vertix 2 and shared knowledge with it after each trip.

The COROS states that the DURA helps as much as 12 simultaneous Bluetooth connections (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 totaling 5 hours, the battery life share loss was 2%.

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

That Dial

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

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

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

The tactile sensation of the comparatively giant dial, each when pushing and spinning it, was safer than diminutive buttons. I additionally didn’t have to modify fingers 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 might have most popular extra resistance or “clicks” to offset bumpy terrain. Typically, in rougher, sooner sections, I spun the dial too far and needed to spin it the opposite method to get to the display setting I desired.

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

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

Navigation

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

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

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

This may very well be a deal-breaker for some adventuresome varieties who recurrently discover themselves in areas with out cell service. Even with cell service, rerouting was primarily based on Google Maps, which regularly doesn’t acknowledge or counsel gravel roads.

COROS plans to supply rerouting performance for offline maps, which can appease a few of these of us. Nonetheless, the dearth of dwell on-device rerouting was a evident gap within the DURA characteristic listing to me.

Attributable to this lack of pre-release options, I discovered the COROS DURA’s navigational skills effectively 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 a lot of this briefly order.

COROS DURA Kind Issue

The three.9″ x 2.4″ x 0.6″ dimensions of the COROS DURA hit a candy spot for me. Among the biking computer systems I’ve examined have the smaller general measurement I are inclined to desire. However then, the display was not as usable for navigation and required a number of 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 enough for navigation.

Different computer systems with bigger screens have been good to make use of whereas navigating, however the giant kind issue appeared susceptible to break 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 general measurement, and I felt that the photo voltaic panel addition was price the true property.

One side of the shape issue that was regarding was the pc mount interface. Though it did “lock” in place on my Okay-Edge Garmin pc 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 fastened the problem with the buyer 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 overview knowledge post-activity.

Utilizing the app with the COROS DURA was the identical. Information reliably and robotically transferred from the biking pc 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 a long time. I discovered the depth of knowledge accessible for overview loads for nearly anybody. From instances, speeds, elevation, energy, and coronary heart price zones to coaching and restoration scores, the COROS DURA and app glad my data-driven tendencies.

I believe any additional knowledge would possibly induce paralysis by evaluation for somebody like me. And compared with different biking computer systems and apps, the information appeared absolutely dependable.

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

First Look Conclusions on the COROS DURA

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

The COROS DURA carried out admirably effectively in three of those, and navigation ought to quickly be up to date with a number of the fixes. The one factor lacking from my listing of needs is on-device rerouting capability with out cell service or Wi-Fi.

COROS aggressively costs the DURA at an MSRP of $249. It is a nice value level for a color-display, multi-band biking pc, and it seemingly appears aimed squarely on the common $300 Garmin Edge 530 and the $280 Wahoo Bolt.

I’ll proceed to check the COROS DURA on roads, gravel, and mountain bike trails. If COROS follows the observe file of its different choices, updates can be quite a few and frequent, promising continued enhancements. Can COROS break into the Garmin and Wahoo-dominated biking pc market? Solely time will inform, however competitors can solely assist the top shopper.

Search for a extra complete overview of the COROS DURA down the highway.