NBC 60Matthew Miller/ZDNET Coros Dura 2 Solar 4.3 / 5 Very good Pros & Cons Extremely long battery life Unique form factor, solid build Big 3.5-inch display Easy button layout Alarm and digital bell support Solar powered Mount not included with base purchase Twice the price of the original Dura Using your phone while on a bike is a bad idea. Bike computers, however, can provide valuable safety information, help you navigate hands-free, and motivate you to achieve your cycling goals. I recently tested the Coros Dura 2 Solar and found it to be a capable device to mount on your bike without worrying about battery life.
Also: My favorite bike computer just got more affordable but with just as many safety features The original Coros Dura Solar was one of my favorite bike computers, and its accessible $249 price made it even more attractive. The new Coros Dura 2 Solar is twice the price but features a unique carbon-and-alloy construction while maintaining a simple, focused user interface. More from ZDNET Navigation and safety First, I recommend downloading maps directly to the Coros Dura 2 via the Coros app on your smartphone.
Then, you can create routes you want to ride in the Coros app and sync them to the bike computer. The Dura 2 offers offline navigation and re-routing so you can leave the phone behind and enjoy a full navigation experience right on the device itself. Navigation features include turn-by-turn directions, automatic re-routing if you miss a turn, live tracking, back-to-start, and more.
Also: Suunto Race 3S review: How real-time dynamic pacing improved my trail runs Weather can change quickly, so make sure to activate Storm Warnings in the settings. Since I commute with my bike in two separate areas separated by 45 miles and want to know when rain moves into the area, this feature is a must for me, and has saved me multiple times. I also ride on roads without dedicated bike lanes, so I always mount a bike radar to the back of my bike.
I’m currently using a Garmin Varia , and it was great to see the Coros Dura 2 supports this accessory and shows me a green, yellow, and red bar on the display with small car outlines that move up the bar as vehicles approach. This radar also detects other bike riders approaching me from behind, which proved valuable last weekend on the trail when I was being passed by faster riders and didn’t have mirrors to see behind me. Also: I test smart watches for a living – it’s been a while since I’ve been this impressed with one Another slick safety feature is the onboard bell that sounds off when you double-tap on the display during an activity.
I have nice physical bike bells I mount to my bikes, but it’s convenient and saves handlebar space when the bike computer provides this functionality. The digital bell imitates physical bells and is loud enough for people in front of me to hear. Unfortunately, there isn’t any way to customize the bell sound.
You can also use the Coros Dura 2 to deter theft, since you can quickly activate the bike alarm by swiping down on the display to access the control center. Once enabled, your connected phone has to be within Bluetooth range or you have to enter the PIN to turn off the alarm if it sounds while you are away from your bike. The bike alarm is extremely high-pitched and annoying, so it is very likely to discourage theft unless they manage to detach the Dura 2 from the mount.
Optional battery charging The device is rechargable via a standard USB-C port, protected with a rubber cover. The area below the display is a solar charging panel that Coros says provides up to two hours of battery life per hour of riding time. I’ve now used the Coros Dura 2 Solar for ride tracking for 12 days and nine rides with current battery capacity still showing 80% remaining.
It’s a relief to mount the Coros Dura 2 Solar and just ride. I get on my bike each morning to commute and no longer have to hope my bike computer has enough battery to track my ride and alert me to traffic coming up behind me. Coros states that the Dura 2 Solar should last up to 70 hours with all GNSS engaged in dual-frequency mode (max setting) or 120 hours with all systems (high setting).
Matthew Miller/ZDNET Unfortuantely, Coros does not include a bike mount with the $499 base model, so select the $549 package if you need one. Coros mounts are available separately for $79. If you’d rather bring your own, any standard twist-and-lock mount should work, and I even used the original Coros Dura mount and a Garmin mount before the Dura 2 Solar mount arrived for testing.
Button, touch, and voice operations One thing that frustrates me about using a Garmin Edge bike computer is the confusing button configuration — one reason I also enjoy the simpler Wahoo units. Coros had a couple of buttons, a rotating dial, and a touchscreen on the original Dura, but improved the user experience in the Dura 2 Solar with large left and right buttons, haptic touch buttons on the lower solar charging panel, and a large touchscreen display. You can also control the Dura 2 Solar with basic voice commands.
The buttons and touchscreen function as follows: Right hardware button: Confirms/selects and opens a side panel during activities. A press-and-hold will force the Dura 2 into sleep mode. Left hardware button: Back; press and hold to launch voice control.
During an activity, it also serves as a lap button. Left and right haptic buttons below the display: Move up and down the display through the different settings/options. During an activity, these buttons help you move through your data pages.
Touchscreen display: Swipe down from the top to view the control center. During an activity, swipe left or right to access media controls. Swipe up or down to scroll through data pages (same as the two lower haptic buttons).
Voice commands let you start or end rides, set alerts to help you train, adjust settings, navigate to your favorite destinations, and more. The Coros Dura 2 Solar must be connected to the Coros app on your phone to use the voice command feature. Final thoughts The Coros Dura 2 Solar is a sleek, well-built bike computer that offers simple operation and full training and riding experiences.
Given that it is a Coros device, it will get regular updates to improve over time, too. The data collected by the Coros Dura 2 can be connected to ChatGPT and Claude to analyze all of your rides. Shortly after launch, Coros plans to provide an update to support left-button customization, voice notes, power-curve charts, tire-pressure-monitoring sensor support, and media-control details.
The Dura 2 Solar is a compelling bike computer, and I’ll be using it for my daily commute and fitness rides. Matthew Miller Contributing Writer Matthew Miller started using mobile devices in 1997 and has been writing news, reviews, and opinion pieces ever since. Matthew started using mobile devices with a US Robotics Pilot 1000 and has owned hundreds of devices running Palm, Linux, Symbian, Newton, BlackBerry, iOS, Android, webOS, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone operating systems.
His current collection includes the latest and greatest foldables, wearables, and more, along with classic devices like the Apple Newton MessagePad 2100 and Sony CLIE UX50. Matthew can be found on various social networks under the user name of "palmsolo." See full bio The Latest from Matthew This bike computer maps my route and gives me directions (and I don’t worry about battery) I wear XR glasses every day on my commute – Why Xreal’s latest pair is my new main driver Suunto Race 3S review: How real-time dynamic pacing improved my trail runs
Source: ZDNET
