Update: COROS is now holding the shipping of these units until September 15th 2024. Pre-orders will have an option provided to them to receive a unit as ordered as of July 15 or choose another alternative. No surprises whatsoever they’ve delayed this launch. The official reason is due to the DURA tabs breaking jn 3rd party mounts. Given the timelines and communication to date, I’m skeptical this is the full justification for the delay.
The bald wizard has spoken. Mad respect for this video. Gotta call these brands out on their shenanigans. Looks like it has potential though, hope they can fix it with updates. :)
Why Coros chose to outsource their beta testing program to the media is beyond me. The feedback they're getting here (and in some other reviews) would have been best for them to receive 6-12 months ago, in private. But here we are.
@@gplama or they are really smart. They know that oyu're one of the few who will follow up, will test all updates and will tell the world how much they approved. Another 12 coros updates coming..
@@berry5954i agree with lama on this one, especially for a first product. I'm left with the impression of coros products being half-baked and buggy. And I'll probably stick with the other brands that I already know
I've been using their multi-sport watch COROS Pace 2 for two years now, and I can only say that they are a great company that takes care of their products with updates that not only fix issues but also upgrade the unit to the max of its hardware capabilities. For instance, the Pace 2 did not offer any maps or gpx routing at all when I purchased it. It was to be expected given the price range it competes with. When they released their Pace 3 with gpx routing, they rolled out an update for the Pace 2 to also support this, which is a massive upgrade. I can now upload gpx routes and navigate with my watch without having to buy a new one. Many other companies wouldn't have upgraded this product and would have forced the consumer to buy their new Pace 3 for such feature. To me, that is a policy that needs to be supported, and I'm sure they will fix all these bugs and catch up with the competition through updates and upgrades!
The DURA is ready and waiting for these updates. I'm new to the whole 'Coros' way of doing things, if this is how they release products? I just don't understand why they didn't wait a month or two for the next update (that is assumed by a lot of people) to make this a much better product.
@@gplama totally agree with you on that! They should have waited to have a market-ready product. I'm only sharing my experience from the last few years. Hopefully they will get on top of things soon!
@@gplama my guess (per my other comment) is agile-delivery mindset. I.e. They push out the MVP for day one, then iterate quickly based on bugs and feedback, patting themselves on the back for how quickly they fix stuff. A big disconnect between that approach vs paying customers upfront expectations of quality.
@@davidh7414 I hope for their sake they are able to move FAST on the bug fixes and features. There's a LOT to digest from what I found in only a few days. Given they've been working on this for two years and have had this on bikes out in the open for months, I'm at a loss as to why feedback from their testing pool didn't result in most of the basic issues being resolved (with their apparent quick-to-move updates) prior to sending these to reviewers.
If they don’t do updates they force you to buy other brands. Get out of that mentality that you are locked in. They are doing themself a favor that their current customer don’t hate the product and switch
Hey Shane, thanks for giving your viewers a first look at COROS DURA! When DURA ships to customers on July 15, we will have updated the firmware from the early beta demonstrated in this video to a new version that addresses many of the issues you pointed out, resulting in a significantly improved rider experience. As we have done with our watches in the past, we will continue to improve DURA via updates for years to come. Thank you again for discussing COROS and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon!
Thanks for the comment. This is the kind of feedback I would have loved to have given six months ago, hence my comment about private beta. With this embargo timing and the current state of the features you’ve put the media in a difficult position. Review it as-is (as you see here), or keep things very high level and tread softly. Either choice puts us all in an awkward spot.
@coros .. so you give media an 'early beta' - your words - yet a few weeks later consumers will get a finished product. That makes absolutely no sense.
Hey Coros, how about delivering a product that works in the first place for review, selling this even in a month makes no sense. Using your customers as Beta testers is an appalling process.
Wtf were they thinking sending this to Shane Miller? Did they think they were going to escape anything short of a full colonoscopy of their hardware, software, and features?
Maybe they were thinking they would get a ColoGuard review. Not so. And if Hambini gets one, they are going to get the reaming of a lifetime. Shane is mild-mannered in comparison.
@@robnolte2547 I’ve heard Peak Torque mention that he feels some brands are sending him product to obtain free R&D. I wonder if this is the same situation z
I am genuinely at a loss why they would release such a half-baked unit to reviewers. But then I am reminded of Garmin and how it takes them at least a year to iron out the many bugs riddling their software. Alas, Garmin gets away with it, because they're Garmin. When you hope to compete with that behemoth, your units and software must be beyond reproach. Thanks mate, your unbiased reviews are always a breath of fresh air. Can't imagine where we'd be without you (and DCR, mad props to him, too).
Seems the two of us dug just a little deeper under the hood and found a few problems. I’m disappointed they’ve put the media in a position such as this - review it honestly and candidly, or give it a brush over and believe them when they say things will get better.
In my experience, this is how Americans do engineering. Throw it together quickly to achieve the next funding round then play the hero firefighting all the subsequent problems. They really don't like planning. This is a big problem for consumers and aircraft passengers unless you avoid Boeing. The bad news is, it's getting worse, although there are notable exceptions such as Hammerhead.
@@richardh7681It's a Chinese company and they do their R&D in China. And what you described sounds much more like the way they tend to do over there. Many Trace Velo videos prove as such.
At first glance, the large rotary knob looks a bit strange. But why not?! Interesting concept, but there will probably be (have to be) a few more firmware updates. The 'not finished yet' thing is an announcement, but you didn't make it without reason. Nevertheless, it's nice that more companies are trying their hand at this difficult bike computer segment. There were a few companies that wanted to enter the market and then disappeared just as quickly, but the manufacturers that have consistently done their thing seem to be successful. For us users, that's only an advantage. Thanks for the review, as always very insightful and informative, real reviews are worth a lot 👍
As an audax rider the advertised battery life did stir my attention. But as a career device tester I really appreciate the level of detail you go into in these reviews. Perhaps they will get the core functionality working soonish. But why are they pushing this launch date?!
@@gplama oh no! It looks like a solid unit and my purchasing decision (once available in the US) kind of hinges on your review. But there are also Garmin 1050 Edge rumors, so... 🤷
Thanks Shane, for the honest comments! When I first saw this thing I thought, great, look at the tiny screen! I don't care about 100 hour battery life, I only have to charge my Wahoo once every couple weeks, not a big deal. I wish manufacturers would focus on getting rid of the 2004-size bezels instead.
Funny that I was looking for an update to a Whaoo product and magically you had one ready for the Garmin 1050. nice work. seems like they are always brining out new updated stuff
Competition much appreciated and needed. Also I'm sure some ultra competitors will appreciate the USP. But you remember that room of experiments Ripley finds in Alien Resurrection? Kiiiillllllll meeeee .... if this design could talk, that's what it would say. Ripley killed them all (with fire).
Based on the current screen lag with very little functionality, I can't imagine how big of a slog it's going to be once they enable all of the 'basic' functionality that is missing.
On the upper side, Coros has a history of correcting issues and improving the product through firmware, I have a Pace2 watch which is a few years old and it's still getting new features through fw - even after the Pace3 model was released. So let's hope those issues are addressed fast and improved, but of course it's not a good image to release a product like that, which leaves an impression of not been properly tested.
@@gplama yeah, and it doesn't make sense, they prefer to launch the product in 'beta' and fix it on the run... Props to you for speaking the truth (not that I expected anything different lol)
Nice review. This unit makes me want to go back using non-gps units like the first SRM computers. And honestly, having a nice whatch that does everything else maybe it is the most sensible thing to do.
"Coming soon" seems to be the name of the game with coros. I had a pace 2 watch and it didn't have a swimming drill mode, didn't have the ability to rename power meters (really annoying if you have serveral and don't remember the ANT ID's of them all...... also the storm alert kept going off when I was sleeping even though the watch was in DND mode. I brought these issues up with the company and they said they were going to add those things but over a year or two later and still not added. I eventually had a crash, the watch screen broke and they have no repair service so I just went back to Garmin.
I'll keep my Wahoo Element Bolt, thank you very much. As much as near daily updates drive me bonkers, it has always been extremely reliable and does every very well. Also, I realize its winter in Australia right now, but how cold is it? You are bundled up more than me when I do late fall/early winter fat bike rides.
It was about 3℃ at 10:30pm on Sunday night when I was riding up and down the street testing Live Track (that I've since found out doesn't work.....). 9.0°C outside now at 1pm.
Spot-on, right out of the gate. I have a Coros sport watch (Pacer 2). Their algorithms/formulas for athlete metrics have a clear bias towards *running*. I use a Wahoo unit for cycling and only wear the Coros watch to hike, swim or run.
I have a coros apex 2 pro watch (I love it btw - use it for hiking) and was waiting for the Dura release here in AU to see if it is worth replacing my aging Polar M460. From what I can see, it won't cut it for me. I need something with proper navigation like the Garmin Edge Explore 2 which I think the maps actually have street names. Coros does not provide street names on the watch at any zoom level and neither does this. For me the metrics apart from HR are not important, I do a lot of long distance riding in various terrains and I think the Explore 2 maybe the best for me.
I wonder if that's another company with 'Shane Miller' on the shitllist. Stuff 'em. I come here first for the honest and unbiased viewpoints. Keep going Lama
Crazy that they launched this in the state it is. Almost everything seemingly can be fixed on the software side but this is missing almost a decade of features. From a hardware and price perspective this could have seriously undercut Garmin if they nailed the software.
Cue sheets are almost a thing of the past. Strava no longer export cues. I think RWGPS do... but if the DURA does support imported cues this is something Coros need to communicate within their technical documentation of the DURA. Other devices with detailed mapping allow for on-device true turn-by-turn.
@@gplama Thanks! Yes I actually use them on RWGPS as general way to get custom POIs. I'll let if be seen whether DURA supports. But obviously potentially changes the navigation experience a great deal.
One of my big wish items with any of these head units is to have the capacity to message for an Uber or other ride share service. I can't see that it's a hard ask as already you're able to share your live ride data with other parties. In my opinion what would be great is being able to send your location to a ride share or mobile mechanic requesting pickup/assistance. It would release the dependency and added weight of needing to lug an Iphone or Android around for that occasion of not being able to fix a tubeless tyre or some other mechanical and you need that ride home
All live tracking features rely on a data connection from a connected phone/mobile device. The exception being the Karoo devices that had provision for their own SIM for their own data service.
Are you going go follow up in a month and maybe even 6-12 months? Would love to know if it gets better. (I know those vids just don’t do well for you on TH-cam, but still…😅)
This has been a compete mess. Nothing will change in a few weeks, when this is projected to be shipping. The underlying software issues are just too many. AND should be tested throughly before launch. Two weeks isn’t enough. Four weeks isn’t enough. The upside is that COROS now have a list is issues from reviews like these and they have a ton of media ‘testers’ out in the field.
I do very long rides (sometimes 24hr non stop) & looking to get my 1st ever bike computer in 8yrs & 100000kms. Have been mounting phone to handlebar for navigation & Garmin Forerunner 245 watch for Strava. I'm getting a new bike built up & like the form factor & battery life of this unit. Is this recommended if not which one? I'd like a unit to replace the phone & watch. Don't use power metre, heart rate or any sensors. Purely ride by feel
Firstly, don't chose the DURA on battery alone, which is what Coros are asking their ambassadors to promote in a big way. This is like choosing a Casio watch from 1985. You're giving up enhanced functionality for one simple feature. If you're familiar with Garmin (and have a Garmin Connect account with your FR245) and are accustomed to having a large phone size screen then I'd be looking at the Edge 1040 or Edge 1040 Solar. Exceptional battery life but without compromising on features - in particular navigation / mapping / climbing (ClimbPro while following rotes and on free rides without a route).
@gplama thanks for your prompt reply Shane. I'm going to look at the Garmin edge 1040 solar as my 1st bike computer for the reasons you mentioned as it makes sense.
Hey Shane. Not to get off the topic of another great review. Have you heard in your inner circles of wahoo coming out with a Generation 3 bike computer. Seems like one is due. I’m ready to get a new one and don’t want to pay for old model. Thanks
I agree they’re due for something new. They are falling behind a little when it comes to screen technology and mapping (although still much better than the new COROS Dura). If one is announced I’ll cover it on here for sure.
they seem more concerned with unloading the rival watch for 70euros on private sport shop instead of the crazy for a meh product 300euros they wanted first. and a new or is it heart rate monitor? maybe finally fixing their at best 6months life expectancy. Got a 4ii one bit bulky but super reliable . I guess €£¥ lack of funds and skills maybe more of the talented dev team left. Still decent but only the bont v2 for 280e . Don't get except view issues with one would go with the roam
Hope that all the people who use Coros watches for running don’t just jump right to this because as you said they have a lot of work to do before it can truly compete with a Garmin or Wahoo head unit.
Without a doubt there are a lot of issues but it does seem a lot of them could be fixed with updates. So now we see how Coros responds and whether these updates happen in a timely fashion. It took Garmin years to get many of their software issues ironed out. The ability to charge faster than the battery life drains on solar is pretty cool and something Garmin can't match at the moment. Let's see where this ends up going.
It looks like they basically 1:1 copied the watch firmware over to the "bike" computer. Navigation seems to be exactly the same on the Apex 2 (pro) watch, where it's just fine for running, bot not what would be expected from a bike computer. If they use the same chip as they use on the watch they have to tweak a lot in the software to get a good performance for the whole map and navigation part, I think the chip has just not enough processing power to deliver good performance
That was a topic I was going to bring up in more detail. I did reference near the end. I’d love to know the feedback the pros have given Coros. This was mine after only a few days. They’ve had it for months.
If they can eventually get this working and have it sync well with their watches that will be huge. Garmin's physio trueup or unified training status or whatever the fuck they decided to call it this week is infuriating.
If they get that working... that would be as they designed. Which based on what I've observed with this so far, would be an improvement on other features that don't.
Sometimes I forget that my summer and your summer are flippity flipped 😂 Talk about rushing a product to try and meet the northern hemisphere summer. Lots of promises but at the moment this is garbage. It is insulting they are still going to release this next month
It's unfortunate how embedded this practice is of releasing buggy cycling products. Perhaps agile-delivery stakeholders actually believe that is exactly how it should be. They just release a MVP to production, then simply iterate super fast based on bug reports and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. What a weird world we live in.
What they've done put the media in an awkward spot. Do we review the unit as-is, at the level people have come to expect of the content we produce... or give it a sprinkle of magic dust and say "Well, they will make it better" while knowing very well we're holding a potato. If they can iterate fast and push updates like I'm being told - Why haven't they done in this over the previous few months? The DURA has been on the bars of riders at Unbound. Riders that have come across from Garmin, Wahoo, etc. They know what works and what doesn't. This also puts those brand ambassadors in an awkward position too. They honestly can't promote this knowing it's not pairing to Di2 properly, not giving sensor battery alerts, with live track not working.
@@gplama I think there is a simple answer to your question. If the customer is expected to pay full price for a product, then your as-is review to your standards is valid. If the customer is only expected to pay a part (say 50%) payment based on an unfinished product, then pay the rest once the fixes are done, then you say "well, they will make it better". Last time I checked, companies expect customers to pay the full price upfront. Answer therefore is: Your review is completely valid.
There's nothing in this review they're not aware of. I would have liked for them to be a little more transparent about what was/wasn't working BY DESIGN before spending so much damn time digging away at the smaller issues. That Di2 issue shouldn't have been a puzzle I had to solve. Anyhow... time to move on from this one for a while. It has been emotional.
Imagine someone buying this as their first/only bike computer only to then find out that it doesn't really work as advertised and that it could take a very, very long time to get things fixed.
That's exactly the perspective I take when using devices like this. Not connecting to any of my Di2 bikes... It screwing power data... Live Track not working. There's so many basics that simply can't be ignored or glossed over.
Imagine, going to buy bread and the baker says; "Sorry mate, not ready yet. Put it in the oven a few more minutes, add salt to your taste. Could be I forgot flower. Well, I'll give you some, here." Oh, you don't need skills these days. Just open a social media account and shout your are an influencer and do some funny dance. You'll be famous in seconds. Why would you do an effort.
I‘m actually shocked thinking about all the cycling influencers and so called „pros“ who got their hands on the unit beforehand, used it and yet stated it as „gamechanging“, which by this point is obviously a straight up lie?
A topic I was going to discuss in this video but chose not to. My reference to Unbound was all that I left in the video. You're spot on though. What feedback had they given Coros? They've all come from recent model Wahoo, Garmin, Hammerhead units so they know what's an acceptable standard. The DURA having limited groupset pairing/function, no sensor battery warnings, and even having big problems with power data aren't things that can be ignored, not even in the beta period.
Coros you really fucked up here. Dont give people like shane something early. Then expect him to beta test. Then say here's the date we want a video for it. Then say. IT'S STILL EARLY RELEASE IT WILL BE ALL FIXED IN ONE MONTH. Thats some major BS. Shane is not DESFIT who just shills new tech that gets sent his way.
I’ve had some of the first Polar watches pre GPS era, first garmin forerunner gps and the second and third generations, Suunto first generation of watch GPS. Lama is still a junior at this play. I have the first Apex Pro and it’s been stellar for a watch better than those others mentioned. I put in an order for the Dura today and I can expect it to be as good if not better the competition by July. Lama,Lama Ding Dong is what I say.
Take another look at the level of detail within this video from a consumer REAL USE perspective. Di2 pairing analysis, D-Fly not working, sensor alerts, routing issues (and how users have to create routes to get true turn by turn navigation), right down to the analysis of the power data and GPS accuracy. What's junior about that? The fact that I'm not relying on promises but reviewing what's in my hand? They've been working on this for two years. They have four weeks to get it right. It won't happen in that time period. If it does, don't come here calling me names when a lot of their work will likely address the issues I've raised. In fact, you're likely going to end up with a better product because of reviews like this.
What's interesting is the tick-box comparison list on the spec sheet saying "Turn by Turn" and that's just accepted as job done. Feature full! While the actual on-road experience is exceptionally different between this and a device that's already two years old. I really hope they work magic with third party routes because at present it's unusable.
Don’t you feel shortchanged Shane? You were employed as a product tester in the guise of product reviewer so I’m assuming you were paid with a rubbish product for a product that is in development. If this was a plane on test then it would be a disaster. Can’t trust this company
Here’s how this will play out - COROS will collate all the reported issues, likely resolve about 1/2 of them, then work with the friendly reviewers to produce update videos that backs up their original claims the product will improve. And they’ll claim it never deserved the negative reviews. Everyone saves face… in theory. I’d be surprised to see any consumer launch day update videos in a few weeks.
I just hope people watches this review and make up their mind about the company and the future customer service they will get. Keep up the good work and honest review. You are one of the gems in TH-cam.
I don't understand the criticism? A pre-production model is provided. was not said that beta software is installed ??What is the headline that the product is not ready? Sorry, but before publication such a criticism is inappropriate and not professional. We all know that products unfortunately only mature with the customer... but maybe you should wait for the software status for publication first? Be fair!
I was provided a unit with around four days lead time to produce a review presenting my experience with it. What would be unfair and unprofessional would be to misrepresent the product and my experience. What would also be unfair is for COROS to use the information as free technical consulting. And that’s exactly what they’ll do. You’ll eventually have a better product because of in-depth technical focused reviews like this. You’re not going to get a better product from reviews that say otherwise.
even if this thing done everything it claims it will do I still wouldn't want its an awful looking thing. its definitely not eye candy i would love to know the thinking when they came up with that design 🫣
Update: COROS is now holding the shipping of these units until September 15th 2024. Pre-orders will have an option provided to them to receive a unit as ordered as of July 15 or choose another alternative. No surprises whatsoever they’ve delayed this launch. The official reason is due to the DURA tabs breaking jn 3rd party mounts. Given the timelines and communication to date, I’m skeptical this is the full justification for the delay.
The bald wizard has spoken. Mad respect for this video. Gotta call these brands out on their shenanigans. Looks like it has potential though, hope they can fix it with updates. :)
Why Coros chose to outsource their beta testing program to the media is beyond me. The feedback they're getting here (and in some other reviews) would have been best for them to receive 6-12 months ago, in private. But here we are.
Can they cut off the solar panel in the future firmware update?
@@olegkurovsky3198 Ye that thing is FUGLY. The Bezel is huge. Not for me.
@@gplama or they are really smart.
They know that oyu're one of the few who will follow up, will test all updates and will tell the world how much they approved. Another 12 coros updates coming..
@@berry5954i agree with lama on this one, especially for a first product. I'm left with the impression of coros products being half-baked and buggy. And I'll probably stick with the other brands that I already know
You're one of the rare guys who gives his honest opinion. You are not just an extension of brand marketing but a real tester and for that: thank you.
I've been using their multi-sport watch COROS Pace 2 for two years now, and I can only say that they are a great company that takes care of their products with updates that not only fix issues but also upgrade the unit to the max of its hardware capabilities. For instance, the Pace 2 did not offer any maps or gpx routing at all when I purchased it. It was to be expected given the price range it competes with. When they released their Pace 3 with gpx routing, they rolled out an update for the Pace 2 to also support this, which is a massive upgrade. I can now upload gpx routes and navigate with my watch without having to buy a new one. Many other companies wouldn't have upgraded this product and would have forced the consumer to buy their new Pace 3 for such feature. To me, that is a policy that needs to be supported, and I'm sure they will fix all these bugs and catch up with the competition through updates and upgrades!
The DURA is ready and waiting for these updates. I'm new to the whole 'Coros' way of doing things, if this is how they release products? I just don't understand why they didn't wait a month or two for the next update (that is assumed by a lot of people) to make this a much better product.
@@gplama totally agree with you on that! They should have waited to have a market-ready product. I'm only sharing my experience from the last few years. Hopefully they will get on top of things soon!
@@gplama my guess (per my other comment) is agile-delivery mindset. I.e. They push out the MVP for day one, then iterate quickly based on bugs and feedback, patting themselves on the back for how quickly they fix stuff. A big disconnect between that approach vs paying customers upfront expectations of quality.
@@davidh7414 I hope for their sake they are able to move FAST on the bug fixes and features. There's a LOT to digest from what I found in only a few days. Given they've been working on this for two years and have had this on bikes out in the open for months, I'm at a loss as to why feedback from their testing pool didn't result in most of the basic issues being resolved (with their apparent quick-to-move updates) prior to sending these to reviewers.
If they don’t do updates they force you to buy other brands. Get out of that mentality that you are locked in. They are doing themself a favor that their current customer don’t hate the product and switch
Hey Shane, thanks for giving your viewers a first look at COROS DURA! When DURA ships to customers on July 15, we will have updated the firmware from the early beta demonstrated in this video to a new version that addresses many of the issues you pointed out, resulting in a significantly improved rider experience.
As we have done with our watches in the past, we will continue to improve DURA via updates for years to come. Thank you again for discussing COROS and we look forward to sharing more updates with you soon!
Thanks for the comment. This is the kind of feedback I would have loved to have given six months ago, hence my comment about private beta. With this embargo timing and the current state of the features you’ve put the media in a difficult position. Review it as-is (as you see here), or keep things very high level and tread softly. Either choice puts us all in an awkward spot.
@coros .. so you give media an 'early beta' - your words - yet a few weeks later consumers will get a finished product. That makes absolutely no sense.
It's the classic situation of you should always buy a product for what it is now, not what is promised in software updates down the line...
@@alexfirthyep, and never pre-order
Hey Coros, how about delivering a product that works in the first place for review, selling this even in a month makes no sense. Using your customers as Beta testers is an appalling process.
Wtf were they thinking sending this to Shane Miller? Did they think they were going to escape anything short of a full colonoscopy of their hardware, software, and features?
Maybe they were thinking they would get a ColoGuard review. Not so. And if Hambini gets one, they are going to get the reaming of a lifetime. Shane is mild-mannered in comparison.
Why pay a software engineer $XXX,XXX on a yearly salary when you can get it for free from a proven youtuber :P
@@robnolte2547 I’ve heard Peak Torque mention that he feels some brands are sending him product to obtain free R&D. I wonder if this is the same situation z
The point is they could have gone this route but in private beta... @robnolte2547
I am genuinely at a loss why they would release such a half-baked unit to reviewers. But then I am reminded of Garmin and how it takes them at least a year to iron out the many bugs riddling their software. Alas, Garmin gets away with it, because they're Garmin. When you hope to compete with that behemoth, your units and software must be beyond reproach. Thanks mate, your unbiased reviews are always a breath of fresh air. Can't imagine where we'd be without you (and DCR, mad props to him, too).
Seems the two of us dug just a little deeper under the hood and found a few problems. I’m disappointed they’ve put the media in a position such as this - review it honestly and candidly, or give it a brush over and believe them when they say things will get better.
In my experience, this is how Americans do engineering. Throw it together quickly to achieve the next funding round then play the hero firefighting all the subsequent problems. They really don't like planning. This is a big problem for consumers and aircraft passengers unless you avoid Boeing. The bad news is, it's getting worse, although there are notable exceptions such as Hammerhead.
@@richardh7681It's a Chinese company and they do their R&D in China. And what you described sounds much more like the way they tend to do over there. Many Trace Velo videos prove as such.
That sums up DCR. Generally good but not for garmin reviews. garmin cannot do anything wrong in his eyes.
@@richardh7681 Coros is a Chinese company.....
With the hype I get in my insta feed this is one of those nice occasions to check which influencers to better not trust. Thanks for the honest review.
At first glance, the large rotary knob looks a bit strange. But why not?! Interesting concept, but there will probably be (have to be) a few more firmware updates. The 'not finished yet' thing is an announcement, but you didn't make it without reason.
Nevertheless, it's nice that more companies are trying their hand at this difficult bike computer segment. There were a few companies that wanted to enter the market and then disappeared just as quickly, but the manufacturers that have consistently done their thing seem to be successful.
For us users, that's only an advantage. Thanks for the review, as always very insightful and informative, real reviews are worth a lot 👍
Thanks for the honest review!
As an audax rider the advertised battery life did stir my attention. But as a career device tester I really appreciate the level of detail you go into in these reviews. Perhaps they will get the core functionality working soonish. But why are they pushing this launch date?!
@GPLama - have you done a full review of the IGP Sports ICS800 unit yet, that you shared an Unpacking video of a few weeks ago?
Not yet. After using this my standards have dropped a LOT. I think the iGS800 might actually be a good device now. Maybe.
@@gplama oh no! It looks like a solid unit and my purchasing decision (once available in the US) kind of hinges on your review. But there are also Garmin 1050 Edge rumors, so... 🤷
It's shit
Thanks Shane, for the honest comments!
When I first saw this thing I thought, great, look at the tiny screen! I don't care about 100 hour battery life, I only have to charge my Wahoo once every couple weeks, not a big deal. I wish manufacturers would focus on getting rid of the 2004-size bezels instead.
Funny that I was looking for an update to a Whaoo product and magically you had one ready for the Garmin 1050. nice work. seems like they are always brining out new updated stuff
Competition much appreciated and needed. Also I'm sure some ultra competitors will appreciate the USP. But you remember that room of experiments Ripley finds in Alien Resurrection? Kiiiillllllll meeeee .... if this design could talk, that's what it would say. Ripley killed them all (with fire).
Based on the current screen lag with very little functionality, I can't imagine how big of a slog it's going to be once they enable all of the 'basic' functionality that is missing.
On the upper side, Coros has a history of correcting issues and improving the product through firmware, I have a Pace2 watch which is a few years old and it's still getting new features through fw - even after the Pace3 model was released. So let's hope those issues are addressed fast and improved, but of course it's not a good image to release a product like that, which leaves an impression of not been properly tested.
It was suggested to them a few times it wasn't ready. I was hoping they'd push the embargo back and resolve some of the glaring issues. Wasn't to be.
@@gplama yeah, and it doesn't make sense, they prefer to launch the product in 'beta' and fix it on the run... Props to you for speaking the truth (not that I expected anything different lol)
Nice review. This unit makes me want to go back using non-gps units like the first SRM computers. And honestly, having a nice whatch that does everything else maybe it is the most sensible thing to do.
"Coming soon" seems to be the name of the game with coros. I had a pace 2 watch and it didn't have a swimming drill mode, didn't have the ability to rename power meters (really annoying if you have serveral and don't remember the ANT ID's of them all...... also the storm alert kept going off when I was sleeping even though the watch was in DND mode. I brought these issues up with the company and they said they were going to add those things but over a year or two later and still not added. I eventually had a crash, the watch screen broke and they have no repair service so I just went back to Garmin.
Nice! Thank you!
What about custom maps, is it possible to upload custom maps?
I'll keep my Wahoo Element Bolt, thank you very much. As much as near daily updates drive me bonkers, it has always been extremely reliable and does every very well.
Also, I realize its winter in Australia right now, but how cold is it? You are bundled up more than me when I do late fall/early winter fat bike rides.
It was about 3℃ at 10:30pm on Sunday night when I was riding up and down the street testing Live Track (that I've since found out doesn't work.....). 9.0°C outside now at 1pm.
Spot-on, right out of the gate. I have a Coros sport watch (Pacer 2). Their algorithms/formulas for athlete metrics have a clear bias towards *running*. I use a Wahoo unit for cycling and only wear the Coros watch to hike, swim or run.
I have a coros apex 2 pro watch (I love it btw - use it for hiking) and was waiting for the Dura release here in AU to see if it is worth replacing my aging Polar M460. From what I can see, it won't cut it for me. I need something with proper navigation like the Garmin Edge Explore 2 which I think the maps actually have street names. Coros does not provide street names on the watch at any zoom level and neither does this. For me the metrics apart from HR are not important, I do a lot of long distance riding in various terrains and I think the Explore 2 maybe the best for me.
I wonder if that's another company with 'Shane Miller' on the shitllist. Stuff 'em. I come here first for the honest and unbiased viewpoints. Keep going Lama
Thank you for the review
thinking I might come to to that one in 12 months!
Did you get a flat tyre alert at 13:39?
Well spotted! Yes. And I still have to fix it. 🤣
Crazy that they launched this in the state it is. Almost everything seemingly can be fixed on the software side but this is missing almost a decade of features.
From a hardware and price perspective this could have seriously undercut Garmin if they nailed the software.
With no turn-by-turn, did the loaded route file have a cuesheet? I think Garmin likes to generate it's own but others don't
Cue sheets are almost a thing of the past. Strava no longer export cues. I think RWGPS do... but if the DURA does support imported cues this is something Coros need to communicate within their technical documentation of the DURA. Other devices with detailed mapping allow for on-device true turn-by-turn.
@@gplama Thanks! Yes I actually use them on RWGPS as general way to get custom POIs. I'll let if be seen whether DURA supports. But obviously potentially changes the navigation experience a great deal.
Love it. Good video
Cheers. There's nothing within it they wouldn't have already known. I just wish it was in a much better state for reviewing.
From this video, I also learned that it can be cold in Australia. :D
See my Insta story from a few hours ago! It’s cold here!
@@gplama Cold, indeed!
One of my big wish items with any of these head units is to have the capacity to message for an Uber or other ride share service. I can't see that it's a hard ask as already you're able to share your live ride data with other parties. In my opinion what would be great is being able to send your location to a ride share or mobile mechanic requesting pickup/assistance. It would release the dependency and added weight of needing to lug an Iphone or Android around for that occasion of not being able to fix a tubeless tyre or some other mechanical and you need that ride home
All live tracking features rely on a data connection from a connected phone/mobile device. The exception being the Karoo devices that had provision for their own SIM for their own data service.
Would it work wearing an Apple Watch?
Does this support "advanced" powermeter data, like L/R balance ect.
No. Nor does it have ANT+ Cycling Dynamics. Yet there are people who believe they'll add all this in a few weeks. They're one day down....
Thank you Shane! 🙏🏻
Are you going go follow up in a month and maybe even 6-12 months? Would love to know if it gets better. (I know those vids just don’t do well for you on TH-cam, but still…😅)
This has been a compete mess. Nothing will change in a few weeks, when this is projected to be shipping. The underlying software issues are just too many. AND should be tested throughly before launch. Two weeks isn’t enough. Four weeks isn’t enough. The upside is that COROS now have a list is issues from reviews like these and they have a ton of media ‘testers’ out in the field.
Shane, could you please tell me what software you are using in 3:26 to analyze fit file parameters?
FIT File Explorer apps.apple.com/au/app/fit-file-explorer/id1244431640?mt=12
@@gplama thanks.
I do very long rides (sometimes 24hr non stop) & looking to get my 1st ever bike computer in 8yrs & 100000kms. Have been mounting phone to handlebar for navigation & Garmin Forerunner 245 watch for Strava. I'm getting a new bike built up & like the form factor & battery life of this unit. Is this recommended if not which one? I'd like a unit to replace the phone & watch. Don't use power metre, heart rate or any sensors. Purely ride by feel
Firstly, don't chose the DURA on battery alone, which is what Coros are asking their ambassadors to promote in a big way. This is like choosing a Casio watch from 1985. You're giving up enhanced functionality for one simple feature.
If you're familiar with Garmin (and have a Garmin Connect account with your FR245) and are accustomed to having a large phone size screen then I'd be looking at the Edge 1040 or Edge 1040 Solar. Exceptional battery life but without compromising on features - in particular navigation / mapping / climbing (ClimbPro while following rotes and on free rides without a route).
@gplama thanks for your prompt reply Shane. I'm going to look at the Garmin edge 1040 solar as my 1st bike computer for the reasons you mentioned as it makes sense.
Hey Shane. Not to get off the topic of another great review. Have you heard in your inner circles of wahoo coming out with a Generation 3 bike computer. Seems like one is due. I’m ready to get a new one and don’t want to pay for old model.
Thanks
I agree they’re due for something new. They are falling behind a little when it comes to screen technology and mapping (although still much better than the new COROS Dura). If one is announced I’ll cover it on here for sure.
they seem more concerned with unloading the rival watch for 70euros on private sport shop instead of the crazy for a meh product 300euros they wanted first. and a new or is it heart rate monitor? maybe finally fixing their at best 6months life expectancy. Got a 4ii one bit bulky but super reliable . I guess €£¥ lack of funds and skills maybe more of the talented dev team left. Still decent but only the bont v2 for 280e . Don't get except view issues with one would go with the roam
Hope that all the people who use Coros watches for running don’t just jump right to this because as you said they have a lot of work to do before it can truly compete with a Garmin or Wahoo head unit.
Without a doubt there are a lot of issues but it does seem a lot of them could be fixed with updates. So now we see how Coros responds and whether these updates happen in a timely fashion. It took Garmin years to get many of their software issues ironed out.
The ability to charge faster than the battery life drains on solar is pretty cool and something Garmin can't match at the moment. Let's see where this ends up going.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen Shane do the X in the cover on a product… that’s a bad sign… 😂😂😂😂
It looks like they basically 1:1 copied the watch firmware over to the "bike" computer. Navigation seems to be exactly the same on the Apex 2 (pro) watch, where it's just fine for running, bot not what would be expected from a bike computer. If they use the same chip as they use on the watch they have to tweak a lot in the software to get a good performance for the whole map and navigation part, I think the chip has just not enough processing power to deliver good performance
yeah and usually even mtb you are way faster riding than running so yeah you need a faster unit to deal with it
The lack of showing the garmin radar in all instances is a hard no from me. That's a flat out safety issue I'm not willing to give up.
The pressable knob is interesting if nothing else. How does that feel to use?
Not revolutionary. *boom tish*
Top notch dad joke hahaha
Id make a solar panel a bit bigger
With that button it looks more like an extra large Iwatch. The wristband is missing
Saw that there were some riders testing the unit at unbound.
That was a topic I was going to bring up in more detail. I did reference near the end. I’d love to know the feedback the pros have given Coros. This was mine after only a few days. They’ve had it for months.
But other then that, you’d recommend it 😂
Not something I've tried. One for Wahoo Support.
When is the IGS800 review coming?
I wonder how many of these faults can be fixed through firmware updates and how many require real hardware updates?
Shane & DC shitting on this simultaneously is rough look for Coros. Also, this thing is ugly as hell!
the best review
Wow hot mess seems like a generous review.
If they can eventually get this working and have it sync well with their watches that will be huge. Garmin's physio trueup or unified training status or whatever the fuck they decided to call it this week is infuriating.
If they get that working... that would be as they designed. Which based on what I've observed with this so far, would be an improvement on other features that don't.
I'll stick with Garmin until a new proven king emerges!
Sometimes I forget that my summer and your summer are flippity flipped 😂
Talk about rushing a product to try and meet the northern hemisphere summer. Lots of promises but at the moment this is garbage. It is insulting they are still going to release this next month
Im in the market for a computer . It will NOT be this one
thanks for sharing the truth and the reaming 😂
Watching this first to see the truth before watching Dave Arthur shill it
As expected dave Arthur says its pretty good...typical shill
It's unfortunate how embedded this practice is of releasing buggy cycling products. Perhaps agile-delivery stakeholders actually believe that is exactly how it should be. They just release a MVP to production, then simply iterate super fast based on bug reports and pat themselves on the back for a job well done. What a weird world we live in.
What they've done put the media in an awkward spot. Do we review the unit as-is, at the level people have come to expect of the content we produce... or give it a sprinkle of magic dust and say "Well, they will make it better" while knowing very well we're holding a potato. If they can iterate fast and push updates like I'm being told - Why haven't they done in this over the previous few months? The DURA has been on the bars of riders at Unbound. Riders that have come across from Garmin, Wahoo, etc. They know what works and what doesn't. This also puts those brand ambassadors in an awkward position too. They honestly can't promote this knowing it's not pairing to Di2 properly, not giving sensor battery alerts, with live track not working.
@@gplama I think there is a simple answer to your question. If the customer is expected to pay full price for a product, then your as-is review to your standards is valid. If the customer is only expected to pay a part (say 50%) payment based on an unfinished product, then pay the rest once the fixes are done, then you say "well, they will make it better". Last time I checked, companies expect customers to pay the full price upfront. Answer therefore is: Your review is completely valid.
Looks like a solar calculator from the 80s
Ouch
There's nothing in this review they're not aware of. I would have liked for them to be a little more transparent about what was/wasn't working BY DESIGN before spending so much damn time digging away at the smaller issues. That Di2 issue shouldn't have been a puzzle I had to solve. Anyhow... time to move on from this one for a while. It has been emotional.
The disruption could be the new bottom of the market.
Imagine someone buying this as their first/only bike computer only to then find out that it doesn't really work as advertised and that it could take a very, very long time to get things fixed.
That's exactly the perspective I take when using devices like this. Not connecting to any of my Di2 bikes... It screwing power data... Live Track not working. There's so many basics that simply can't be ignored or glossed over.
Imagine, going to buy bread and the baker says; "Sorry mate, not ready yet. Put it in the oven a few more minutes, add salt to your taste. Could be I forgot flower. Well, I'll give you some, here."
Oh, you don't need skills these days. Just open a social media account and shout your are an influencer and do some funny dance. You'll be famous in seconds. Why would you do an effort.
Reminds me of HH, tho my name's 💩 to them 😁
The "Dura" name is already a red flag, we all know "Dura Ace" is a very well established name by Shimano.
Similar with Elite wheels. These chinese craps even copies trademark names.
I‘m actually shocked thinking about all the cycling influencers and so called „pros“ who got their hands on the unit beforehand, used it and yet stated it as „gamechanging“, which by this point is obviously a straight up lie?
A topic I was going to discuss in this video but chose not to. My reference to Unbound was all that I left in the video. You're spot on though. What feedback had they given Coros? They've all come from recent model Wahoo, Garmin, Hammerhead units so they know what's an acceptable standard. The DURA having limited groupset pairing/function, no sensor battery warnings, and even having big problems with power data aren't things that can be ignored, not even in the beta period.
Left-handed, so a crown on the right is a nope.
Maybe the Dura is confused because it's down under!
Coros you really fucked up here.
Dont give people like shane something early. Then expect him to beta test. Then say here's the date we want a video for it. Then say. IT'S STILL EARLY RELEASE IT WILL BE ALL FIXED IN ONE MONTH.
Thats some major BS. Shane is not DESFIT who just shills new tech that gets sent his way.
I’ve had some of the first Polar watches pre GPS era, first garmin forerunner gps and the second and third generations, Suunto first generation of watch GPS. Lama is still a junior at this play. I have the first Apex Pro and it’s been stellar for a watch better than those others mentioned. I put in an order for the Dura today and I can expect it to be as good if not better the competition by July.
Lama,Lama Ding Dong is what I say.
Take another look at the level of detail within this video from a consumer REAL USE perspective. Di2 pairing analysis, D-Fly not working, sensor alerts, routing issues (and how users have to create routes to get true turn by turn navigation), right down to the analysis of the power data and GPS accuracy. What's junior about that? The fact that I'm not relying on promises but reviewing what's in my hand?
They've been working on this for two years. They have four weeks to get it right. It won't happen in that time period. If it does, don't come here calling me names when a lot of their work will likely address the issues I've raised. In fact, you're likely going to end up with a better product because of reviews like this.
Roadnames is something i never need, like ever..
last thing I want is to search for a roadname sign.. It might work in Oz though.
What's interesting is the tick-box comparison list on the spec sheet saying "Turn by Turn" and that's just accepted as job done. Feature full! While the actual on-road experience is exceptionally different between this and a device that's already two years old. I really hope they work magic with third party routes because at present it's unusable.
Shit on it 🤣
Wow , that thing is ugly😂
Don’t you feel shortchanged Shane? You were employed as a product tester in the guise of product reviewer so I’m assuming you were paid with a rubbish product for a product that is in development. If this was a plane on test then it would be a disaster. Can’t trust this company
Here’s how this will play out - COROS will collate all the reported issues, likely resolve about 1/2 of them, then work with the friendly reviewers to produce update videos that backs up their original claims the product will improve. And they’ll claim it never deserved the negative reviews. Everyone saves face… in theory.
I’d be surprised to see any consumer launch day update videos in a few weeks.
I just hope people watches this review and make up their mind about the company and the future customer service they will get. Keep up the good work and honest review. You are one of the gems in TH-cam.
I don't understand the criticism? A pre-production model is provided. was not said that beta software is installed ??What is the headline that the product is not ready? Sorry, but before publication such a criticism is inappropriate and not professional. We all know that products unfortunately only mature with the customer... but maybe you should wait for the software status for publication first? Be fair!
I was provided a unit with around four days lead time to produce a review presenting my experience with it. What would be unfair and unprofessional would be to misrepresent the product and my experience. What would also be unfair is for COROS to use the information as free technical consulting. And that’s exactly what they’ll do. You’ll eventually have a better product because of in-depth technical focused reviews like this. You’re not going to get a better product from reviews that say otherwise.
The ugliest bike computer ever!
even if this thing done everything it claims it will do I still wouldn't want its an awful looking thing. its definitely not eye candy i would love to know the thinking when they came up with that design 🫣