COROS Dura Bike GPS Hands-On: Never Charge Again?
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- COROS has just announced (or rather, the second announcement) of the COROS Dura cycling GPS computer. This computer aims to take their existing watch software, and port it into a GPS bike computer format. Which, as you’ll see, is pretty much what they’ve done. The unit’s standout feature is the higher claimed battery life, with theoretical ‘forever power’ in the right sun conditions via its large solar panel.
I’ve had the COROS Dura for a bit under a month now, which normally would be enough time to put together an in-depth review - especially the many rides I’ve put on it. But at this stage, the unit simply isn’t ready. COROS won’t have a more stable firmware until tomorrow (June 18th, a day after this announcement), and even then, it sounds like many of the issues I’ve raised will take weeks or longer to sort out. Which isn’t saying COROS won’t be able to fix them. I’ve actually got a fair bit of trust in how fast COROS can issue updates and take in feedback, just as they do on the watch side. However, I’d caution that even with all of the fixes in place, there’s still some pretty substantial gaps here to the competition. Inversely, there’s also a couple compelling features the competition doesn’t have. Though, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: The price is very interesting.
Point being, this IS NOT a review. That’ll come at some point down the road, likely in early July, or whenever they end up start shipping units (now slated for July 15th). With that, let’s dive into it.
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#COROSDURA #COROS - Sport
Very fair criticisms here Ray. I think COROS is aware of the issues you mentioned here (maybe directly from you) and my gut feeling is that your, from the hip, time-line is about right. COROS's software team has their work cut out for them but I think they'll get there. And I loved seeing some of those clips of you and Des riding.
Yep, I love this feedback loop. I’m hopeful Coros knocks it out of the park and reshapes the industry.
“Explore perfection” couldn’t be a more hubristic tagline
You mean they are cocky? Agreed
The power of a MIP display and a decent sized solar panel = awesome battery life.
Happy that there is new player on the block, but damn - seeing that interface and UX makes me appreciate my ROAM v2 even more.
looks more like a proof of concept than a retail unit.
As always great video, and think this reputation for always improving is what I love about being in the Coros ecosystem. Been beta testing this guy since winter and definitely impressed with the improvements in each software update.
They will definitely nail this and excited to see where they bring this to push the whole industry
Was hoping for more than this to happen in the next 7 days as you said in your last video
This head unit is advertised as shipping to customers on July 15th, so less than a month away. Imagine if you have ordered it as the only bike computer you have and all the important stuff isn't working. Quite a bummer even if most issues might be rectified sometime next year.
Honest review as always. Really appreciated. I was looking forward to this device being released and seems like I will have to wait a bit more. Maybe wait for Wahoo Roam v3?
At that price point I would argue that on device re-routing is not a requirement given all the other things is will 'someday' do... it seems a fair trade with respect to price/capability.
Great video Ray 👍
Excellent breakdown! I love my Coros watch, but I’ve long felt they’ve neglected the cycling community on prioritizing features. I hope they can iron things out as it would be good to have another quality option to choose from other than overpriced Garmin.
Love the hardware. Love the solar+mips combo for crazy multi-day battery life (bikepacking/ultra) now if they can just get the software/ux/ui solved, I think we'll be really, REALLY, good.
I am very interested in this. Typically, Coros has always succeeded by offering 1) a great price, like you said, and 2) all the specs and features of 'the big players' in a simpler package. The same price (and fewer working features) breaks their mold. That said, fast software updates have been a strenght of theirs, as has been long term support, so hopefully this one has legs longer term.
This bike computer looks promising. Hope they resolve the issues specially on map rerouting direction which is very important in remote areas.
I understand the sales pressures (to get the investment back), but I also understand that sometimes "a bad first impression can be critical and endanger the launch of a product". I assume that this scenario has already been thought of by COROS and they have preferred to take a risk.
or they are in parallel already tackling a lot of the stuff but still send the pilot batch to the reviewers which is not the best move like also happened on the first hardware version of their Vertix2
At first glance, the large rotary knob seems a bit strange. But why not?! Interesting concept, but there will probably (have to) be a few more firmware updates. It's nice that more companies are trying their hand in this difficult bike computer segment. There were a few companies that wanted to get involved in the market but then disappeared just as quickly, but those manufacturers that consistently did their thing seem to be successful.
For us users, that's only an advantage. Thanks for the review, as always very enlightening and informative 👍
Hello Ray. The day you can't criticize the shortcomings of a product I will stop watching your videos, but it won't be today, not tomorrow. As always, thanks for your reviews.
Thanks!
GREAT review! So informative
I really hope they figure this out because that price is reasonable unlike all others.
I love the scrolling wheel on my Coros watch.
Same, working very well.
Dang was pretty excited for this but does look to be in it's beta phase. Will have to see how they progress in development so I'll be hanging onto my Karoo2 for the next while.
As ever, thanks for being one of the real ones Ray.
Thanks!
Wow Ray. That was very useful. Best regards Martin
Thanks!
Oh that is heartbraking. I am considering upgrading from an Elemnt Bolt "from 5 or 7 years ago", and I'm very happy with the Coros watch, so had my hopes high for moving into a single ecosystem.
Coros must be under some enormous pressure to release this in its current state. Companies relying too heavily on customer goodwill is a “no no” for me. Shame
My wife does things like Furnace Creek 508, Race Across Oregon, etc... This has the potential to be the perfect computer for her... Here are the fixes needed to make that happen:
1) Buttons. DCR is 100% correct, several buttons ARE A MUST for a cycling computer. 12 hours in, 34 hours in, the last thing you want to have to deal with is a fussy roller wheel.
2) "Base Model". For the tens of thousands of miles my wife has ridden, she's never needed maps, training plans, or 90% of the 'extra crap' most brands stuff into their software. Speed. Average Speed. Distance. % Grade. Temp. Lap Counter. Battery Power Indicator. Ride type (road, gravel, mtb, trainer). And maybe a few more basic functions. THAT'S ALL WE NEED. Please offer a base model that is super duper simple to use. No touch screen either.
3) My wife has many many man years worth of training on the Garmin Connect ap/website. It would be a very tough call to simply trash all that data. Coros needs to have a similar data site AND a SIMPLE way to transfer data from other platform over to the Coros platform.
That big solar panel and what it could output could be a game changer for multi day events. But requiring to be always connected to internet via app is just nonsense. I'm looking forward for second iteration with finished software and normal buttons.
Ray, nice watch tans! Since when do you NOT have at least one watch on? (Did see the one on the table). Great "hands-on" video. Looking forward to updates in the future.
Probably he was wearing watches just before and after shooting this video that are still under embargo..
One thing about On Device Routing vs Cellular Connectivity. Coros COULD do the rerouting on your phone from downloaded maps and then push it to the device so both not requiring cellular connectivity nor the difficulty of writing an on-device routing engine. Having a much less expensive bike computer that leverages the phone for the more difficult computational stuff would make a lot of sense and could have a much quicker turn around. Unlike runners, most bikers carry their phone with them.
I think the hardware is solid, though it seems a little sluggish here, but all of these head units kinda are. The Digital Crown can probably be adjusted in future software updates to deal with the sensitivity issues. I think the $250 price tag is pretty impressive if they can just nail the software. They seem to be doing a good job with their watches, so hopefully after some software updates they’ll get this nailed down.
Its the details and quality that make people choose Garmin over cheaper brands.
Nice review an usefull for Coros to get their game together on this! Do you think this could also be an option to use instead of a handheld devise for walks and or long trail runs (or as backup for a watch)? Since battery life past 24H and the display also seem to be usefull for that type of activity.
I've be disappointed with ALL the computers released in the last 12 months. Garmin 1050 is too bulky for me too, although an all new UI might be good when it comes to the smaller devices. I'm now hanging all my hopes on a new Wahoo... come on guys, you can do it.
finally!!!!
Always glad to see come competition and innovation! This bike computer aesthetically looks terrible, I can’t get over how the solar panel looks. The crown just won’t work and also looks weird. Completely agree it’s like the old bolt which is sad, no one would consider buying a phone with 5 year old tech specs. Even if they get everything sorted with the bugs this just seems like it’s not going to sell well. Really curious what background the product owner has for this..
I missed the "if you enjoy this video please press that like like button. Did ray forget the reminder 🤔?
The digital crown is a fail for me, simply because I'm left handed
Same here.
Crown should be in the middle
So this is the _main_ problem here?? As a fellow lefthander, I learned to operate devices in a different manner. Here for example I would just scroll with my middle finger with palm from underneath
so….just use your right hand to manipulate the crown! You don’t have to write the commands!
lol didn’t even realize this but Coros should have… can’t believe the hours that must have gone into design without anyone saying “I’m a lefty”
@@feedbackzaloop nice, do you also eat cereal with a knife?
I can adapt to each brand’s unique plus and minus. My issue with every GPS I’ve used is with legibility and glare.
Actually the bugs you discussed with re-routing and climb bro are the same kind I have on my top-of-the-line Fenix (a little bit less quarky though)
Just to be clear: they consider the product not ready enough to postpone the "review" embargo, but they feel confident enough to ship the product? I'm no expert, but what is the benefit of releasing a product, that will definitely underperform in the first few months, even a year? I get it, they will have some testing data, but very uncomfortable quarter reports, and huge damage to brand trust. Is there something I'm not seeing? Oh, and one more thing: they can fix a lot of software stuff, but battery life and hardware (crown vs buttons) is not like that...
The benefit is people close to buying a new bike computer might wait for this rather than buying a Garmin or Karoo in the meantime.
@@mmcewen9789 Thank, I kinda get it, I'm not so sure, if there weren't the same amount of people next year, and if I understand correctly, they will miss the "summer peak" anyway. (I go with the assumption, that people will wait without actually buying) But, we will see. Thanks for raising the point.
To be honest, my Garmin Edge 1030 Plus hasn't nailed navigation and re-routing...and it cost way more. After watching your review of the Garmin 1050, and it's price, I think I really want this Dura to be a thing.
uhhh, I don't think a company can enforce a review embargo on a released product?
Ohhhh they pushed the release date back to july, I guess we'll see by then if they push it back again.
Thanks for this video. I was tempted, but my coros apex battery lasted about 15 months before it stopped working and you can't replace the battery. What would be the best computer around the same price, please?
get your hands on the Suunto Ocean and compare it to Garmin mk2, Fenix 7, Vertical and Race. Ocean is what i've been waiting for !!!!
Yup, there’s an Ocean in a UPS depot for me, albeit, getting it into my hands has been tricky. Hang tight!
Hey, @Dcrainmaker. Not related to the COROS itself, but I was curious what your tripod setup is for shooting footage of your review device.
I have a Coros Pace 3 watch and its heads and shoulders above garmin
COROS Pace 3 is a great watch. But it unfortunately doesn’t carry over to being a great bike computer at this time.
I like it but that dial!
It sounds very much like the next iteration of the Garmin line. Loads of issues in the new model, some of which get fixed as time goes on, others never get fixed until you buy the next model... Routing on a Garmin is horrible, so Coros haven't got anything to worry about there 😂
Great review. I find it super disappointing when things are sold without the features they claim to have. I hope companies learn from the many examples of basically lying too and hustling their customers that it’s not the way to do business. I hate to say it, but I hope it completely flops and they sell zero units and almost lose their company so that the next bike computer they sell has everything plus whatever it takes to save the company from bankruptcy.
Such high promises already broken should come with high repercussions.
If I went to the bank and told them that I had a business idea based on XY&Z but the X, the Y and the Z don’t exist yet they would laugh me out of the branch. I imagine, even in the most liberal, understanding and welcoming of banks you would be strait up made fun of and told to leave.
I appreciate the comparison with the straight up fraudulent companies who have designed and sold one product that also does not do what it says on the package but, COROS actually has several products that are good? I’ve never actually used any but I’ve seen other you tube reviews that like you suggest they have a good product, how this happens is very confusing.
Next week: Shimano will announce that they bought this and will not support Sram AXS 😅😅😅😅
Now the Absolute Cycling The ONE finally seems to be heading to mass production, are you reviewing the final product soon ? Looking forward to that one!
As a right hander I prefer to use my non dominant hand for low strength tasks.
I imagine the claimed battery life is being achieved via a larger battery and a slow/low power processor. The running OS/application platform being developed for running does not need to respond to inputs, or provide notifications (e.g. off course notification) as quickly for runners than required for cyclists. A runner would not be as far off course as a cyclist would be by the time the firmware got around to providing a notification. I wonder if Coros will learn that they need to up the processor clock speed, or require a higher powered processor, to deliver the features/performance required, only to fall short on the battery life claims. I wish them luck - a fully featured competitive GPS bike computer that requires little to no manual recharging would be a market game changer.
Battery capacity is 960mAh, which is apparently comparable to the Edge 540 and half the 1040. Which makes it even more impressive. If their battery life claims are correct, I have no idea how it can be twice as efficient as other brands.
@@swe223 it comes down to the processing power of the processor. If you have fewer clock chains in the IC (I.e. less processing logic in the processor) and/or you clock the processor slower, either or both of these will result in lower power consumption by the device. Developers strive to optimize performance vs battery life. It is evident to me that is the situation here. While all the features can be fixed in firmware, the question remains if the chosen processor is powerful or fast enough to handle it. (My guess is no) My prediction is once these firmware improvements are implemented, battery life will decrease.
@6:18 do you know why there are differences even between the good power data recordings, assuming all devices receive the same ANT+ data broadcast? Is that due to "smart" recording intervals, or activities not starting at the exact same time?
Essentially you’ll see second by second differences due to transmission/receiving rates on power meters since they don’t quite record at exactly the same one-second interval.
The 5head on that thing looks a bit funny
The screw isn’t to permanently leave it on your bike, the Wahoo units have the screw as well, it’s a requirement for UCI weigh ins. Garmin might have it as well
Thats why Wahoo included it, but not actually why COROS included it. In fact, when I sat down with the CEO, he wasn’t even aware of the entire UCI component of why Wahoo did it.
Also, Garmin does not have it. And frankly, none of the Wahoo worldtour teams use the screw (as someone who goes and covers the stages). Mainly because riders don’t like leaving units on their bikes.
I stand corrected! I just assumed they did it for the same reason Wahoo claims to have done it. I don’t know why anyone would do it either, and like you, I replaced my Wahoo bolt mount with the much nicer one from K-Edge.
Isn't the extra screw on the out front mount to "permanently" attach the computer to your bike for the purposes of weigh-ins? Wahoo's stock out front mounts have the same thing
That’s what I thought too, but as I sat down with the CEO, he wasn’t even aware of the whole UCI thing. They literally built it for people leaving it on bikes.
so. they gonna sell it but don't want to be revived? No advertised features? Do worth it price right now?
Wow
I can't understand the big screen and a small display, waiting for the big updates and probably it will be ready to compete again Wahoo and Garmin
9:38 Coros needed to piggyback the release before the Chinese mid year 618 shopping festival . Otherwise, many potential biker will chose garmin until end year 1111 shopping festival around black friday time.
Does it support left/right power balance? I actually moved away from one of their early watches (that supported ANT+) because I needed the power balance for an injury rehab... but the battery life of their watch was great!
Just checked, didn't record left/right in my power file. :(
I think you're being a bit too generous with your final message. It looks like this product is failing to nail the fundamentals while simultaneously failing to deliver on its standout advanced features. Despite the company knowing this product isn't ready for market, they're still looking to ship out a half-baked product to customers. Frankly I don't understand this strategy. Yes, they'd be shipping out in the summer when everyone's looking to buy bike equipment, but at the same time they risk alienating their customers by leaving a bad first impression. Even at $250, it feels like a risky move buying a product in such an unfinished state with the promise of future fixes. Why not delay the release to the holiday season to at least work out the bigger kinks?
Thanks for the review...the map looks also not very detailed and not very OSMish ...and without re-routing and trails it is not very usable for me. I come from a Garmin and have a Karoo2 now...paid same price like the Dura. Had also a Coros Pace2 and switched to Garmin because of functionality. Nevertheless I wish Coros all the best.
Question.... For those of us who have years of training loaded onto our Garmin Connect account... Does Coros offer a similar data storage system? Can we transfer all our Garmin history over too it? I would be hard pressed to start with 'a clean slate' for my training history logs...
Meh I would use it. Looks better than my 130+.
Hola DC , un placer saludarte y siempre he sido un admirador de tus vídeos pero lamento decirte que para nada estoy de acuerdo en muchas de las cosas que señalas del dispositivo y su software, por supuesto te lo comento porque también he probado el producto y lamento mucho ver todos los problemas que estás teniendo y que afortunadamente a mí no me ocurren la gran mayoría de ellos.
Thanks! Ultimately, I report what I saw. And COROS agrees with everything on my list, as needing work.
@@Dcrainmakerdesconozco en qué fecha harías estas pruebas pero… ¿has vuelto a probarlo todo con las últimas actualizaciones? A ver qué tal? Gracias
@@BeFinisherthe latest available firmware as was available on publishing this video. Again, COROS doesn’t disagree with any of these issues. They say they are working on them. I suspect if you look closely at the issues I’ve outlined, you’ll see you can easily recreate all of them.
I brought up the need for offline navigation to COROS (in terms of their watches) and they basically said that isn't a focus for them. Whatever the hell that means.
Love my Coros Pace 2 and would recommend it to anyone, but this Bike GPS I will not buy the first version of. Maybe Dura 2?
Is 120 years of battery life the most asked feature? How about super responsive UI?
Was this filmed in your back garden Ray
Is this the first of April?
Put more tension on the clicks of the crown
How does it compare to the edge 1050 you are testing?
I feel like they are trying to sell an old typing machine 😂
Not ready for Prime TIme as of yet..
Seems to be a big flaw, i love coros, i wish they fix all of these
In my opinion, the lack of recalculation of the route, immediately after leaving the course, is ok. I want to know that I left the course and where it is. It does not necessarily have to set me a new route.
These do not look like half-baked things or bugs to me. This is seriously fundamentally broken software. If the system can’t do background uploads, it’s not easy to add it later. Parallel processing is non-trivial.
That crown is a big no. In which world is it a good UX design for a bike computer ?
Interesting 😏
as much as the large battery life is nice, the solar panel taking up most of the top is certainly not the most visually appealing haha. it looks extremely awkward with the bezels.
You can have all the battery time if the product itself fails... 😪
Or to be less pessimistic, the battery last ages when you don't/can't use the device.
I think the same way... Everytime when I ride my bike with the Garmin. ;)
Digital Crown? Also left handed. Link to phone? Nah. Another fail. Great concept but from a marketing point of view, they’ve done premature exposure … oh dear, the product manager looks likely to get a ‘please explain’ letter from the boss!
How could they manage to achieve such a long battery life? The battery itself is nothing special with a 960mAh capacity - quite low and similar to that of the Edge 840 if I'm not mistaken - but lasts twice as long? (70h vs 26h w/out solar) ? That would mean that the power consumption of the screen and electronics is cut by a factor 2 compared to the 540 and by a factor 4 compared to the 1040 (1800mAh, 40h). So either this is a technological breakthrough (How? Garmin also uses MIP displays), or it's it's just false marketing claims.
COROS has always done a good job with battery life, but also at the expense of features running in the background. For example, the poor power meter recording rate, or the latency on missed turns, or the maps without names/etc. all these things take power.
So this hardware basically with all the software updates and fixes brings you back 8 years… all that jump back for only 400$ 😊 hm
A shiny screen, what is the benefit?
My wahoo bolt 2 looks much better.
Disappointing! Saw this as a contender for the new bike computer I need. Not interested in the Karoo so can only hope there is something new in the works from Garmin or Wahoo.
So a Hammerhead V1 but cheaper and worst? lol
Wil they do a version without solar? Who the hell wants that huge thing on top of the bike computer when the normal battery already lasts that long?
its forehead is bigger than peyton manning
Next chapter for coros will be chapter 11
399 in Canada?!?
It’s like the maple syrup tax, but in reverse.
(Said as one with Canadian wife/kids…)
I don’t ride anymore or use a bike computer. It’s frustrating though to see companies dropping products that aren’t fully baked, let alone 80% of what they’re promising. Seems to be more prevalent than ever.
Most consumers will see a scathing review and never check back on whether a product’s actually viable at a point down the road. Optics are everything.
Apple maps still hasn't caught up
Well I'm sorry to say it but I don't think a cyclist beginner or expert would get this instead of a wahoo or garmin. Also why do they think a cellphone is necessary. The whole point is to ride as light as possible. Also do they offer the fall/accident detection feature?
For what you Do a review for a product not finished then ?
?
Yikes… as a developer, this looks like Beta for sure, and by BETA I don’t mean public BETA. Will see how their risk pays off.
Of all the chicken shit tactics. Push embargos but still plan on selling to unsuspecting costumers. I guess those who still purchase have no one to blame but themselves