When the first bike computer from COROS was released in July, it was surrounded by plenty of…discourse. People had opinions. Folks had things to say. COROS made some big claims about the Dura, that, at the time of launch at least, it didn't quite live up to. But, since that launch, COROS has regularly been pushing updates to the Dura, and improving its functionality. And I've been using the Dura on most rides for the last two months, so it's time to weigh in.
Unlike most reviews in the cycling space, I think I come to the Dura from a slightly less traditional pipeline. For the last year+ I've used a COROS watch to track my cycling activity. For whatever reason, I've never been a big bike computer guy. I've loved using the Hammerhead Karoo for navigation and some ride tracking, but at the end of the day, I kept coming back to my trusty COROS watch. I like the app, I like the battery life, and I like the form factor. So, when COROS touted the Dura as basically an extension of their watch line, in a handlebar-friendly package, with solar charging, I was intrigued.
Photo: Cy Whitling
Coming off a couple of months using the Dura regularly, I think that some folks will really get along with it, and others might be a little frustrated. But that battery life? Impressive! I haven't charged it yet, and I'm still sitting at 60%. So let's dive into it!
About the COROS Dura
In my Karoo review I pointed out how high tech and powerful that computer feels. That's especially true in comparison to the Dura. The Dura feels a lot more like, well, a bike computer. That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't feel like I could hack into a mainframe with the gadget strapped to my bars.
It uses the same user interface as COROS watches, with a finger dial that can be pressed as a button, combined with a "back" button. Yes, it has a touch screen, but it's not terribly responsive, and I find myself barely using it. It's the sort of touch screen that I'm happy to tap, but wouldn't want to try to scroll, zoom, and pinch around on.
I'm agnostic about this click wheel vs more buttons. It works just fine for me, but I understand why some folks might feel more passionately about it.
Photo: Cy Whitling
In typical COROS fashion, there are several different satellite tracking modes to choose from, all with slightly varying levels of accuracy, and effects on battery life
It uses a normal quarter-turn mount to lock onto its perch, and has an auto-brightening screen. Most importantly though, above that screen is a solar panel. COROS claims 2:1 charging with that panel - for every 1% of battery you burn in optimal sun conditions, you should gain 2% of charge. We'll get into how that plays out in terms of battery life later in this review.
It's not that the Dura feels "cheap" necessarily, but it feels more utilitarian, stripped down. There's less glitz and glam on display here, which, to my taste at least, is nice.
It's also worth noting that, in keeping with the watch theme, the Dura is always on. It puts itself to sleep, but is always ready to go with the press of any button.
Software and functionality
If you've used a COROS watch, the operating system of the Dura will feel really familiar. It's easy to choose your activity, load a map from your phone, and connect to a heart rate monitor or other electronics. But, again, the Dura feels simpler here than some other cycling computers. It has a set list of things that it does, and thus doesn't have a super deep menu full of options and customization.
You can tell the icon is a MTB because it's going down a steeper hill than the little gravel person.
Photo: Cy Whitling
And this is where I think the Dura is going to be divisive. If you just want to track your rides, and have a nice clean interface to see where you've gone, and what your stats are, this computer is awesome. It works so well. But, if you want to go further than that, and really get fancy with your functionality, that's more of a gamble.
COROS has been consistently rolling out updates to the Dura firmware, and has made impressive improvements to its functionality even in the few short months I've had it, so I'm hesitant to make any sweeping claims since this all seems to be in flux right now.
Companion App
I've been using the Dura and Karoo back to back, and there's a real contrast in approaches here. The Dura does most of its computing in its companion app, and the COROS app is great. It's powerful and full-featured. I find it to be pretty intuitive to use, and pretty free of bugs. In comparison, the Hammerhead app doesn't really do much right now, other than allow you to send destinations from your phone's mapping app to the head unit. That makes sense, given the Dura's watch origins. Most of the computing "work" is done on your phone, and then sent to the head unit.
The COROS app is really good.
Photo: Cy Whitling
That methodology works quite well for me. I don't like fiddling with small bike computer touch screens, and I'd rather just do that work on my phone. But, I understand that some folks don't want to bring their phone on a ride, or want their bike computer to handle everything, so if that's you, the Dura may not be the computer for you.
For my part, the workflow is really easy with the Dura and the COROS app. It's very easy to create routes in their interface, change the settings on the computer, and grab the .gpx files from completed rides to drop on my mega-spaghetti GAIA map overlay. I dig the bias towards using the app for complicated tasks.
Navigation
This is where the Dura started to fall a little short for me. My first experiment using the navigation feature was on a walk to the grocery store. I dropped a route in from the app, and started walking. For the first couple of turns, it did a good job of directing me. Then, as I started descending a very slight hill, the hill climb graphic popped up, showing me an impressive, and inaccurate ascent in my future. Luckily, that went away quickly. But, when I intentionally took a "wrong" turn, I was surprised by how slow to react the Dura was. I made it a block and a half past my "missed" turn, before it realized and tried to re-route me.
Does this photo contain enough info to dox me? Probably? Please don't though!
Photo: Cy Whitling
And when it did reroute me, it took a while for the Dura to figure out my next move. That might be because the Dura isn't actually doing that figuring. Instead, when you get off route, it asks the phone app to reroute you, and thus has to wait longer to make that decision. The bike computer itself isn't handling that calculation, which means that if you don't have cell service, or your phone isn't connected to the computer, rerouting might get dicey.
I personally rarely use bike computers for navigation, but if you do, I think this is worth keeping in mind, and I'm interested to see if future firmware updates make an impact here.
Car-brained bias
I commented in my Karoo review on how bike computers tend to treat riders like cars, and route us on busy streets instead of more bike-friendly routes. The Dura falls into a similar category, for the most part. On the aforementioned grocery store jaunt, it defaulted to a very car-centric route, but then rerouted me when I diverted onto the bike path.
This is the correct way to get to donuts on a bike. Props COROS.
However, during my favorite task, where I asked the computer to route me to the donut shop, the Dura did much better than the Karoo. It took me straight to the bike path through the park, instead of sending me the long-way 'round on Alabama Street. Thanks COROS! Donuts taste better on the bike path!
Bike alarm
The Dura has a bike alarm feature that I've actually used quite a bit. You simply set the alarm when you leave your bike, and if someone moves the bike it lets out an ear-piercing squeal until you either bring your phone, signed into the COROS app near the computer, or enter your PIN. It's quick and easy to set this alarm, and it offers a nice layer of defense when I leave my bike by the door and run into the 7-Eleven to grab more Nerd Clusters.
Battery life
Did I bury the lede here? Maybe. The battery life on the Dura is really, really good. COROS claims that in the default "all systems on" setting, you should get 120 hours of ride time out of a full battery. And they also claim that the built in solar panel should get you two hours of ride time for every one hour spent in the sun. How does that actually play out in the real world though?
Photo: Cy Whitling
When the Dura showed up, it had 69% charge on the battery. Instead of plugging it in, I just started using it. I've used it 4-5 times a week for the last two months, and it's sitting at 61% charge now. And this time of year at least, it's kind of wild, but it actually loses charge faster not riding than riding. I left it at home in a dark garage when I went on a five day riding trip last week, and when I got home, it was down to 54%. But then I went for a sunny ride, and got it back up to 56%. And then I left it out on my sunny porch for an afternoon, and it's at 61% now.
This, to me, is a huge selling point. I do not like thinking about keeping things charged, That's why I love COROS watches. I charge them every couple months, and then just live my life the rest of the time. It's pretty cool that COROS has brought that to a bike computer. I'm interested to see how it fares through the winter months, but for now at least, I'm a big fan of not charging my bike computer. Instead it just lives on my bars. I wake it up when I go for a ride, it does its thing, I do mine, and we repeat the cycle.
A conclusion and an exhortation
For my uses, the COROS Dura is great. I love not thinking about the battery, not being distracted by a super trick computer on my bars. It lets me record my rides, and brings zero extra drama to my life. But my needs aren't your needs. Lots of people want their bike computers to do "more" and the Dura does that "more" with varying levels of success.
Not a usefull photo of the computer, but I dig how the leaves above it, seen in the reflection, are just as in-focus as the ground below.
Photo: Cy Whitling
So, as I wrap up my final few reviews on this platform, here's an exhortation: Reviews can only be so useful. It's up to you, as a consumer, to really think about what you want from your cycling experience, and what your priorities are. Going into any gear purchasing decision without a clear-eyed assessment of yourself is a risky business. The COROS Dura illustrates that well. Some folks will really dig it. Some folks might not. I'm a fan though.
