As first-world issues go, there aren’t many who cyclists will likely be extra conversant in than kitting up for a journey, solely to seek out that your bike laptop’s battery is flat simply as you are about to move out the door. If not that, then it is the nervousness of an previous laptop’s battery draining from full to flat when you’re following a route, hoping you may hit acquainted territory earlier than being plunged into digital darkness.
It’s one of many greatest complaints I had with the Hammerhead Karoo 2, whose battery lasts someplace within the area of 8-10 hours, and although it is my go-to laptop at residence, it was pressured to take a seat on the sidelines after I tackled the Chasing Cancellara 275km sportive in 2022.
While the newest Karoo is healthier, and the perfect bike computer systems supply battery lives that adjust between marginally higher and bloomin’ good, a brand new laptop from smartwatch model Coros has hit the proverbial ball out of the battery life park.
It’s known as the Dura, and it marks a path shift and a step into the biking marketplace for the primary time for the Chinese model.
It encompasses a 2.7-inch display, a photo voltaic panel, a Garmin-style quarter-turn mount, and a full-colour touchscreen backed up by a Digital Dial and an accompanying button. It has dual-frequency GPS, presents on-device re-routing, and may hook up with exterior sensors similar to coronary heart charge screens or energy meters.
All the main points and Coros’ claims might be present in our launch story – Coros launches Dura computer – however having taken it out for a three-hour journey yesterday, I’ve a couple of ideas to share.
Battery
As the headline suggests, in my three-hour journey, the Coros Dura drained simply 0.8%. If you’re taking that determine and extrapolate it out, I may feasibly count on 375 hours of driving. For somebody doing seven hours of driving every week, you’d have to cost it as soon as a YEAR. Insane.
And that was utilizing the entire Dura’s options, together with GPS routing, with an influence meter related. I commonly missed turns and thus pressured it to re-route me, and the show was on utilizing the inbuilt ambient sensor.
There’s some nuance to that determine, although. The battery drain throughout my journey was really 3.7%. The photo voltaic panel contributed a 2.9% recharge, which is how the 0.8% web consumption determine is achieved. If I solely ever rode at nighttime, that 3.7% drain would extrapolate out to round 81 hours of journey time. Still very excellent.
Yesterday was a really sunny day. I’m no skilled within the superb situations for a photo voltaic panel, however I might say yesterday would have been up there. Coros says the photo voltaic panel presents a 200% effectivity (two hours journey time for each hour of “direct daylight”) and that is not fairly what I achieved, however everyone knows the UK is not finest identified for its sunshine. I hoped to complete the journey with extra battery than I began, however 0.8% loss remains to be an unbelievable consequence, particularly given I wasn’t essentially giving it a relentless stream of direct daylight, what with tree cowl and the occasional cloud.
I also needs to add that my gadget is operating the beta software program (forward of the official launch), and Coros says the battery will enhance as soon as on the general public software program.
All issues thought of, it is secure to say that no one should fear about battery life when proudly owning this laptop. You may even exit with it on 10% and count on to get a full day of driving, one thing that you would be able to’t say for another laptop.
Features
There’s little level in me diving too deeply right here as a result of Coros is at present within the means of switching from beta software program to the consumer-facing completed product, rolling out varied firmware updates, and including options and performance alongside the best way.
At the second, the Dura does every thing you realistically want, with out doing an excessive amount of else.
It can hook up with your exterior sensors by way of Bluetooth and ANT+, it has dual-frequency GPS performance, on-device maps, and the flexibility to re-route in the event you miss a flip. You can obtain a route or exercise from well-liked apps (Strava, Komoot, Training Peaks, and so forth) and you may add your exercise on to your chosen app routinely by way of WiFi upon your return residence.
Some of the deliberate updates for the approaching weeks/months are listed beneath however there are loads extra in addition to.
- RideWithGPS integration
- Cycling actions and full exercise builder help on COROS Training Hub
- Outdoor temperature readings
- “Climb” characteristic when following routes will likely be improved and can higher show lengthy climbs
- Strava Live Segments
- Shorter sync time for sending Strava routes to the COROS app
- Media controls for playback on telephone by way of Bluetooth
- Optimisations for Turn-by-Turn in order that it is extra responsive at excessive speeds
Any negatives?
On my journey, I discovered the Dura labored effectively, however the software program was fairly gradual to answer inputs. When you press a button, roll the dial or contact the display, there’s a split-second delay earlier than the display reacts, particularly when on the map. While this may occasionally enhance with firmware updates within the coming weeks, I discovered it to be a bit irritating.
The navigation of the Coros Dura is not like another, in that the menu is operated by way of a ‘Digital Dial’. This is a rolling dial on the aspect of the gadget, which acts as a button when pressed, just like all Coros watches or the Digital Crown on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The dial is admittedly mild motion, and at first, coupled with the gradual enter response I believed I hadn’t spun it accurately, and so I might go once more, just for the display to catch up and overshoot what I wished. Once you be taught to be affected person with it, it is nice, nevertheless it’s not as slick because it may very well be, and I would like a extra tactile click on as you scroll.
I additionally discovered that when attempting to press the button mid-ride, you would simply scroll the dial onto the subsequent menu merchandise whereas clicking. Luckily Coros asks you to press and maintain for 3 seconds to finish a journey, in any other case, I might have unintentionally ended my journey a number of occasions, nevertheless it did result in a number of situations of incorrect choices.
Value
Compared to the large three of Garmin, Wahoo and Hammerhead, the Coros Dura is extremely competitively priced.
At £249.00 / US$249.00 / €289.00 / AU$449.00, it’s priced according to the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt – a button-navigation gadget with a 2.2-inch display and a a lot smaller physique. The Dura is the most cost effective with a touchscreen, and it presents an excellent checklist of options.
Verdict
After only one journey, it is inconceivable to land on a verdict that you simply as a reader ought to be capable of belief, however some elements did stand out.
The battery lifetime of the Dura is well probably the greatest available on the market, even bettering Garmin’s solar-powered fashions twice its value. I settle for that for most individuals, a 375-hour battery would not add any worth over and above a 50-hour battery as a result of no one is driving that lengthy with out an in a single day cease, nevertheless it’s reflective of an easy-to-own total bundle that is able to journey each time you’re.
The value is aggressive, the performance is well-considered, and whereas the menu navigation has proven itself to be a bit gradual, this can hopefully iron out with the firmware updates.
So far, the Coros Dura appears like a severe product that is solely set to enhance, and at a value that may attraction to many.