Coros has launched the new Dura 2 Solar bike computer today, in what is a major update to the brand's original Dura model, which launched in 2024.
The original Dura made waves when it launched thanks to its solar charging technology, which provided at least a 120-hour battery life, making the unit popular with long-distance riders or those who wanted to cut down on regular charging.
The Dura 2 Solar maintains the same claimed 120-hour battery life from a single charge, not including solar power and 2:1 solar regeneration (meaning you gain two hours of battery for every hour of sun exposure) that the original unit had, and there's been a major overhaul everywhere else.
The unit has been redesigned into a slicker, lighter package; the old digital dial is gone, and the hardware has been given a major upgrade.
In short, the Dura 2 Solar seems to be a far more premium overall package that looks more capable of taking the fight to the big hitters when it comes to the best bike computers.
Something else that has changed is the price: the Dura 2 has a retail price of $499 / £429 / €499, a healthy amount more than the previous unit's RRP of $249 and comes without a mount.
The unit uses a horizontal quarter-turn standard (Garmin mount), and the brand argues most riders already have a mount, or need a specific one anyway for their bike's handlebars.
A computer and mount option is available for $549 / £479 / €549, and standard and out-front mounts are available for $79 / £69 / €79.
The unit will be available for purchase from the 27th of October. We understand the original Coros Dura unit will be phased out from this point.
We have everything we know so far here on the computer, as well as our first impressions after logging some rides with the new unit.
Carbon fibre, aluminium and solar power
The Dura 2 Solar looks radically different to the outgoing unit; it's now lighter than before at a claimed 99 grams and uses a T700 carbon fibre backplate and aluminium alloy in its construction.
The front half of the unit is incredibly thin at just 5.7mm, whilst the solar charging panels have been moved to the bottom of the computer. There are two buttons on either side of the computer body, as well as a USB-C charging port on the right-hand side. There are also two new haptic buttons which can be found on the solar panel as well.
The screen is now bigger; the Dura 2 has a 3.5" Sharp MIP (memory-in-pixel) colour touchscreen, an increase over the old unit's 2.7" screen. Coros has provided some details. The screen has a 17:9 aspect ratio and 201 pixels per square inch.
Like the Garmin Edge 1060 computer that launched this week, the Dura 2 also has a voice control feature. Pressing both buttons on the side of the unit activates the voice control feature, which can be toggled on and off.
The unit, as you might expect, is WiFi, ANT+, and Bluetooth-friendly and works with GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS and QZSS satellite systems. The brand promises improved routing, pinch-to-zoom screen mapping, climb alerts, and offline re-routing.
Routes can be built in the Coros companion app, which also supports a workout planner and training metric analytics features.
There's also a built-in bike bell, media and camera control functionality, and the ability to upload to ChatGPT and Claude for training analysis.
Shimano and SRAM drivetrain support is built in, and Coros says Campagnolo compatibility will come at the end of the year. Third-party app connections can also be made to the likes of Zwift, Wahoo, Strava, Ride with GPS, Komoot, TrainingPeaks and TrainerRoad.
First ride impressions
I've been riding with the Dura 2 for a little while and have logged five hours on the unit so far. Aesthetically, it looks pretty cool, sleek and thoroughly modern, the very thin-to-normal body design perhaps looks slightly disjointed, but that's being really picky.
On the lack of a mount coming with the unit, I see no issue. Most riders will have a Garmin-type mount already, and may likely have their own bike specific out-front mounts sorted anyway. It's one less mount in the spares box in my eyes.
After my initial shakedown ride, I fully charged the Dura 2 and, to test the battery, will use it without recharging until I need to.
After five hours of riding and five days of use, I am at 92.9% battery, with a 0.9% solar charge. You can put the unit into sleep mode in about three seconds, or fully turn it off; I've left it asleep for days at a time.
I've been riding with the screen brightness on full, and with PM and HRM sensors paired, for context. It seems safe to say the battery life is considerably bigger than anything else on the market, like the previous unit.
Initially, at unboxing, I was left disappointed by the unit's screen brightness and overall resolution, noting it to be not as vivid or bright as the Karoo or premium Garmin models. In use, this has been less of an issue than I thought it would be, and outdoors on max screen brightness, the screen is perfectly acceptable to me.
The unit is also fast, one of my colleague Josh's key complaints regarding the original Dura was that it was a touch laggy. The touchscreen is very fast and simple to use, as is the overall user interface and processing speed; no issues from me there.
The map layout looks very good, clearer than Garmin units for me, and up there with the best units around. I'm yet to fully test the navigation features, though.
My only other minor issues at this point are that I can't quite figure out how to get my main road activity profile exactly as I want it, and the lap notification screen takes too long to get rid of, but those things will get answered in time.
I'm already grinning at not having to plug the thing in or check the battery, and the unit is proving to be very capable; it also looks darn pretty cool mounted on your bars. Watch this space for a full review.