COROS rolls into cycling today with the DURA, the brands first foray into bike computers. This seems logical, as many of its wrist-mounted products, with just a few more functions, would function well as cycling computers if they had bigger readouts and were on the handlebar instead of the wrist.

　　I received a pre-launch sample, but Ive only ridden with it three times. This First Look review is based on about 5 hours of gravel riding. Ill have a more comprehensive review further down the road.

　　In short: The COROS DURA brings the brands well-regarded adventure watch attributes, especially among trail runners, to the handlebar. Among these is incredible battery life, bolstered by solar charging. The DURA also introduces a novel approach to controlling the various screens while riding. A dial is the primary control point, and it delivered a unique tactile experience while monitoring performance on the go. However, there were a few concerns on my pre-release sample, but COROS stated it would address most of them for consumer versions.

　　COROS DURA

　　(Photo/COROS) Specs Battery life 120 hours / 70 hours with dual-frequency navigation, both without solar Screen size 2.7 diagonally Recharge time 2 hours Sensor integration GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou, QZSS, Bluetooth, ANT+, Wi-Fi Screen type Touchscreen, full-color display, composite glass Pros Great battery life Control dial is easier to use than multiple buttons Solar charging Easy to use and comprehensive app Very competitive price Cons No social media integration in app No long-term physical trend tracking in app Seiji Ishii Check Price At COROS Legendary Battery Life

　　Long days in the saddle demand excellent battery life, and COROS has always delivered amazing run times; (photo/COROS) COROS wrist computers enjoy the reputation of having incredible battery life, and indeed, the Vertix 2S watch hasnt disappointed me in that regard for the few months Ive tested it. I expect the same from the COROS DURA.

　　COROS claims the DURA cycling computer follows suit and will run 120 consecutive hours with full GPS on a single charge. The brand also boasts a 70-hour life while navigating via two frequencies (without solar aid). According to the brand, the COROS DURAs solar panels add up to 2 hours of ride time for every hour of direct sun exposure.

　　This claimed battery life is despite a 2.7-inch MIP color touchscreen that proved bright enough to decipher easily, even in direct Texas sun. The backlight is adaptive, adjusting screen brightness to match the light conditions, helping extend battery life.

　　COROS DURA Connectivity Although viewing real-time performance data and navigational cues is important, cycling computers connectivity to other apps and the resulting expanded functionality and performance data are equally valuable.

　　Ive found the COROS app very useful with the brands other products, so I expect the same with the DURA. Riders can create routes with the native app or download them from popular cycling route apps like Strava, Ride with GPS, and Komoot.

　　According to the brand, pairing DURA with a COROS watch adds additional complementary data regarding performance, sleep, recovery, stress, and HRV metrics. Ive been doing this for the short period Ive had the DURA, and I can attest that the additional data has proved fruitful in programming my training.

　　COROS also includes its full training platform, COROS Training Hub, with the DURA, and it doesnt require a subscription. I did not test this feature during the First Look review period.

　　What About Durability?

　　Top endurance athletes consulted with COROS to ensure the durability of the DURA; (photo/COROS) Cycling computers take a beating, especially on gravel and mountain bikes. They must withstand endless dust on gravel, potential impacts with branches on mountain bikes, constant vibration, and occasional crashes on any bike. They also can get soaked with sweat and rain (the DURA is IP67-rated), and I ride in conditions ranging from about 40 degrees to over 100.

　　Ive beat the crap out of the COROS VERTIX 2 wrist computer and am doing the same with the VERTIX 2S. Both watches have proven to be up to the task, which is no small feat. From bouldering and rock climbing to ice climbing in Alaska, these COROS products have not missed a beat. I expect the same from the DURA.

　　COROS enlisted the help of notable off-road endurance cyclists to ensure the DURAs longevity. These include Haley Smith, Cole Paton, Freddy Ovett, Hannah Otto, and Amity Rockwell. The DURA has survived the Traka 360, the recent Unbound 200 gravel endurance tests, and the Nové Město Mountain Bike World Cup.

　　COROS DURA: First Look Review Impressions

　　The dimensions of the COROS DURA hit the sweet spot for me; (photo/COROS) As stated, I received the COROS DURA in time to ride it three times for about 5 hours in total, all on rough gravel. So far, Im impressed.

　　Connecting Accessories Ive had issues connecting other cycling computers with the various gadgets cyclists tend to collect. This bike computer paired with some of the devices I ride with straightaway without issue.

　　I connected my Suunto heart rate strap, CORE body temperature sensor, and Garmin Varia radar device easily (its supposedly also compatible with Shimano electronic drivetrains.)

　　It did not connect with my 4iiii power meter or SRAM Red AXS drivetrain (its also supposedly compatible with Shimano drivetrains).

　　Whenever I uploaded my ride on the COROS DURA to the app, it automatically shared data with the Vertix watches.

　　The COROS states the DURA supports up to 12 simultaneous connections with Bluetooth (its also ANT+ compatible).

　　Battery Life The DURA battery drained at a snails pace. The screen has had to be super-bright, as the rides have mostly been in direct sunlight. But that strong solar energy was also seemingly recharging the battery simultaneously. After three rides, the battery life percentage loss was 2%.

　　Given my experiences with its watches, I feel that COROS has the battery life game down. Although my testing so far has been minimal, I believe the DURA will inherit the same phenomenal single-charge duration that the COROS watches deliver.

　　That Dial

　　The control dial on the COROS DURA was a standout feature; (photo/COROS) The lack of buttons was immediately noticeable. There is only one standard physical button on the lower right side of the DURA, which powers up the unit and acts as the back and lap button.

　　I toggled everything else almost exclusively with the unique dial on the right side. This dial can be depressed and spun, and its the main control point for the DURA. The touchscreen capability wasnt utilized much.

　　I immediately liked the dial. I sweat a lot, and much of the time, my fingertips are also covered in sunscreen from applying it elsewhere. Sometimes, they are so slippery I cannot tighten the BOA dials on my shoes.

　　The tactile sensation of the relatively large dial, both when pushing and spinning it, was more secure than diminutive buttons. I also didnt have to switch hands to press buttons on opposite sides of the computer, which is common with other cycling computers.

　　The only nitpick was the dial spun without much resistance. I would have preferred more resistance or clicks to offset bumpy terrain. Sometimes, in rougher, faster sections, I spun the dial too far and had to spin it the other way to get to the screen setting I desired.

　　Instead of a button scrolling through entire preset pages, the DURA dial allowed partial scrolling through rows of data. For example, if I chose to have my speed up top and my heart rate was on the second row, I could scroll the wheel to place the heart rate on top and bring up one more row of data at the bottom. I didnt have to turn the page entirely, so there was more flexibility in viewing real-time data.

　　I also thought keeping the activity time constant at the bottom of the page made perfect sense, regardless of the other data.

　　Navigation

　　A cursory look at the COROS DURA navigation abilities revealed shortcomings; (photo/COROS) My navigational needs were minimal during the First Look testing period, but the pre-release COROS DURA five-band GPS dual frequency navigation system showed some flaws.

　　First, quite a few standard cycling navigation features were absent in my early sample. These included street names or points of interest on the device maps, integration with Ride with GPS, turn-by-turn navigation, a climb feature, live rerouting, weather data, location on the device, Strava live segments, and lap summary data.

　　COROS claims that most of these will be rectified or added at launch or soon thereafter. However, one important omission will be live rerouting. Cyclists will need a cellular or Wi-Fi connection and use the COROS app to change the route mid-ride.

　　This could be a deal-breaker for some adventuresome types who regularly find themselves in locations without cell service. Even with cell service, rerouting was based on Google Maps, which often doesnt recognize or suggest gravel roads.

　　COROS plans to offer rerouting functionality for offline maps, which may appease some of these folks. However, the lack of live on-device rerouting was a glaring hole in the DURA feature list to me.

　　Due to this lack of pre-release features, I found the COROS DURAs navigational abilities under par compared to other cycling computers. On my pre-launch sample, navigation was nothing but a highlighted line on a map. But again, COROS aims to remediate most of this in short order.

　　COROS DURA Form Factor

　　L to R: Garmin Edge 540, COROS DURA, Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM; (photo/Seiji Ishii) The 3.9 x 2.4 x 0.6 dimensions of the COROS DURA hit a sweet spot for me. Some of the cycling computers Ive tested have the smaller overall size I tend to prefer. But then, the screen was not as usable for navigation and required a lot of zooming in and out to ensure I understood where I was. Much of the upper surface of the DURA houses the solar panel, but I found the screen size adequate for navigation.

　　Other computers with larger screens were nice to use while navigating, but the large form factor seemed prone to damage in a crash or was just a larger target for trailside vegetation to hit on a mountain bike. COROS hit the correct middle ground for me for both screen size and overall size, and I felt that the solar panel addition was worth the real estate.

　　One aspect of the form factor that was concerning was the computer mount interface. Although it did lock in place on my K-Edge Garmin computer mount, it felt so much looser than on other cycling computers.

　　I never launched the DURA off the mount during my gravel rides, but every time I mounted it, I did think about it. COROS has reportedly fixed the issue with the consumer version.

　　The COROS DURA is a lightweight; my pre-launch sample weighs a verified 98 g.

　　COROS App

　　Ive found the COROS app to be easy to use and plenty thorough in data; (photo/Seiji Ishii) With the COROS Vertix and Vertix 2S, Ive really enjoyed the COROS App for the iPhone. Its been one of the more straightforward apps, and Ive never had to consult anything to customize watch screens or review data post-activity.

　　Using the app with the COROS DURA was the same. Data reliably and automatically transferred from the cycling computer to the app, and reviewing post-ride data was simple and intuitive.

　　I have a kinesiology degree and have been a personal trainer to professional athletes for over 2 decades. I found the depth of data available for review plenty for almost anyone. From times, speeds, elevation, power, and heart rate zones to training and recovery scores, the COROS DURA and app satisfied my data-driven tendencies.

　　I think any further data might induce paralysis by analysis for someone like me. And in comparison with other cycling computers and apps, the data seemed fully reliable.

　　One notable omission from the COROS app is social media connectivity, but that didnt bother me at all. Another is long-term physical trend monitoring, but again, this didnt register as a negative for me either, as I do that through different means.

　　First Look Conclusions on the COROS DURA

　　COROS prices the DURA aggressively at $249; (photo/COROS) I think COROS fared remarkably well in its first attempt at a cycling computer. Most cycling computers, from the usual suspects, can display whatever data a cyclist could ever want. The noticeable differences to me are battery life, ease of use while riding, navigation ability, and post-ride data analysis.

　　The COROS DURA performed three of these admirably well, and navigation should be updated now or soon. The only thing missing from my personal list of wants is the rerouting ability on the device, without the need for cell service or Wi-Fi.

　　COROS aggressively prices the DURA at an MSRP of $249. This is a great price point for a color-display, multi-band cycling computer, and it seemingly seems aimed squarely at the popular $300 Garmin Edge 530.

　　I will continue to test the COROS DURA on roads, gravel, and mountain bike trails. If COROS follows the track record of its other offerings, updates will be numerous and frequent, promising continued improvements. Look for a full review down the road.

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　　Seiji Ishii Check Price At COROS