Coros Dura bike GPS test – A price/performance ratio hard to beat

Test video summary

My summary

How can Coros Dura be used?

The Coros Dura GPS bike computer is one of the most affordable in its class. Although it offers fewer advanced features than some of its high-end rivals, it is still an effective performance monitor.

It’s perfect for those who value autonomy, simplicity and robustness. It will appeal to small budgets and occasional or beginner cyclists wishing to invest in their first reliable GPS without breaking the bank.

Features

• Dimensions: 99.5 x 60.8 x 15.7mm
• Weight: 102g
• Display: LCD touchscreen with permanent memory, 2.7″, resolution 400 x 240, 64 colors
• Water resistance: IP67, dust and waterproof.
• Autonomy: 70 to 120 hours without solar power
• Internal memory: 32GB for 1200 hours of activity
• Connectivity: ANT+ and Bluetooth for accessories, wifi for Coros application
• Sensors: barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, temperature sensor
• Price: €289

Coros Dura full test

Design and Ergonomics

The design of the Coros Dura GPS meter is distinguished by its original yet sober aesthetic. Its streamlined shape minimizes aerodynamic drag, and its reinforced polymer casing and composite glass screen ensure good impact resistance.

It comes with an aero computer mount, but the Dura is compatible with all Garmin-type mounts. However, I did notice a noticeable play with my CloseTheGap mount, causing the speedo to vibrate.

The GPS display surface is divided into two parts: a solar panel and a 2.7″ color touchscreen below. The latter uses transflective MIP technology with adaptive backlighting and a 240 x 400 pixel resolution for clear data display, even in bright sunlight.

The Dura is intuitive to use thanks to a single button and a digital thumbwheel, an emblematic element of Coros watches, used here to offer fluid navigation.

Located on the right-hand side of the device, the toothed thumbwheel enables precise menu navigation, either by turning it or by pressing it. This system offers great ease of use, even in difficult conditions, such as in the rain or when wearing gloves, where the touchscreen can become less responsive.

Interface

The Coros Dura interface is clear and intuitive, making it easy to navigate between the various functions. As soon as you switch on, a single menu allows you to choose from six activity profiles, access saved routes and workouts, notifications and various settings.

Once the activity has been selected, the user can directly start the outing or adjust certain settings, such as adding sensors, configuring alerts or choosing an itinerary. A long press on the lower button also givesaccess to the current output settings.

Profile screens are fully customizable, offering up to six data screens, each capable of displaying between 2 and 8 fields of information from over 50 available metrics.

A split-screen mode is also available, keeping the map permanently visible on a third of the screen, while other data scrolls in pairs via the scroll wheel.

Autonomy

Autonomy is one of Coros Dura’s main assets. It offers exceptional battery life, from 70 to 120 hours, and its integrated solar cell provides up to two extra hours of autonomy for every hour of direct sunlight.

What’s more, it recharges quickly, in just 2.5 to 4 hours depending on temperature conditions. Perfect for bikepacking and long-distance enthusiasts, or for those who forget to recharge their GPS before a ride!

As an example, after 14 hours and 20 minutes of use, it shows 85.2% battery remaining, with a last recharge dating back 5 days and 3.2% of charge coming from solar energy.

Coros application

Pairing the Coros Dura with its application is simply done via a QR Code on first start-up. Once connected, the computer automatically synchronizes, providing access to activities, routes and scheduled sessions, as well as many other parameters.

Some functions, such as route recalculation or safety alerts, require an active connection with the application. It also manages call, SMS and third-party application notifications.

Finally, the application allows advanced personalization of profiles and data screens for an optimized experience.

Connectivity

The Coros Dura is an ANT+ and Bluetooth-compatible meter, offering the possibility of connecting up to 12 sensors simultaneously.

It supports a wide range of accessories, such as heart rate, power, speed and cadence sensors, home trainers, bike radars and Shimano and SRAM electronic drivetrains. This limit of 12 connections can therefore quickly become a problem for those with several bikes equipped with electronic transmissions and their own dedicated sensors.

The meter can also be paired with a watch from the same brand to collect additional data on heart rate and sleep quality.

What’s more, once synchronized with a phone, it displays incoming calls and SMS messages, and transfers data to the application within seconds of activity.

Triathletes will appreciate the possibility of using the counter as a remote display for their Coros watch during the bike leg of a triathlon. This offers greater reading comfort while keeping a single record of the event.

The Dura also features a number of built-in sensors, including a barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and temperature sensor, for precise analysis of riding conditions.

GPS

Coros Dura is compatible with all major satellite systems and offers three options :

• use all GNSS systems without dual-frequency GPS for greater autonomy,
• activate dual-frequency GPS for greater accuracy, or
• select automatic mode, where the system adjusts dual-frequency GPS activation according to satellite signal reception.

Mapping & route tracking

To use cartography, you need to download maps via Wi-Fi into the application. Routes can be created directly in the application, synchronized from third-party platforms such as Strava or Komoot, or imported as GPX files.

Once a route has been added, it is stored in the application’s library. To use it on the counter, it must then be selected and added manually.

Although this involves an extra step to load a route onto the meter, I find this system sensible, as it preserves the device’s memory and makes it easier to manage routes.

During navigation, the screen displays the map with the route and altimeter profile. In turn-by-turn guidance mode, an arrow indicates the direction to follow, with the distance to the intersection and an audible alert.

Although route-following is easy, the 50-meter resolution and inaccuracy of the maps, with no distinction between road surface types, limit the possibility of modifying or improvising the route, especially off-road.

What’s more, if you leave the route, the computer can’t recalculate it on its own. The app takes care of this, but it requires a network connection and a smartphone connected to the computer. So that’s the big drawback of the Coros for me.

When importing a route, climbs are automatically identified and detailed, with coloring indicating the percentage of their slopes. This information can be consulted at any time on a dedicated screen.

As you approach a climb, Dura displays the climb profile in real time. Underneath, the distance, average percentage gradient and remaining ascent are displayed. This feature helps cyclists better manage their effort by adjusting their intensity to variations in terrain and difficulty on upcoming climbs.

Sports activities and training

The Coros app lets you create personalized training plans, synchronize routes and specific sessions, and customize activity profiles. As with routes, sessions can be created directly in the app, imported from third-party platforms such as TrainingPeaks or via a file.

An FTP test is available in the Dura menu to assess the functional power threshold and adjust workouts according to current capabilities. Customizable alerts can also be set for cadence, heart rate and power, helping users to stay within their target effort zones.

A practical detail for monitoring your training is a color indicator that shows your intensity zone in terms of heart rate or power, with a cursor that changes from blue to red depending on the intensity of your effort.

Security

The Dura incorporates several safety features to protect the rider and his equipment.

An alarm, activated in the event of suspicious movement of the bike during a stop, can be configured to emit an audible signal and send a notification to the connected smartphone.

Livetracking allows friends and family to follow the cyclist’s position in real time via a link shared at the start of the ride.

Finally, fall detection identifies sudden stops and automatically sends an alert to an emergency contact if no action is taken after a countdown.

It is also compatible with taillight radars, providing a visual and audible warning of approaching vehicles.

Conclusion

The Coros Dura is an excellent choice for cyclists looking for an affordable, high-performance GPS, provided they make a few concessions, notably in terms of mapping accuracy.

Nevertheless, thanks to its attractive price, advanced features and remarkable autonomy, it offers value for money that’s hard to beat.

The Dura is therefore a perfect option for cyclists looking for a reliable device without breaking the bank, but the most demanding cyclists may not be totally satisfied.