Atlas ASG-1 GPS Cycling Computer

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Atlas ASG-1 GPS Cycling Computer

Posted on January 2, 2012 by dannycycle

Only for use in Japan. Not recommended for people who cannot read Japanese.

I sold my Nintendo dsi and software, ipod nano, and headphones so I could buy a GPS device for cycling. Most of the receivers were over 10000 yen, but I found the pink Atlas ASG-1 made by Yupiteru on Amazon for 7480 yen. The black version goes for 14800 yen, double the price. It is bizarre that color has such an incredible influence on the cost of products that are the same exact thing. This product tracks your current speed, average speed, elevation, and calories burned. If you input longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates of your ride it will give you the remaining distance and general direction of your destination. If no coordinates are entered then the computer automatically tracks you from your current location. Connecting the device via USB to a computer the stored information from a ride can be transferred to Yupiteru’s AtlasTour program which needs to be downloaded from their website. There is an update for the program so that it can be run on Windows 7, which is the OS I am using now. When I downloaded the program a notice appeared that it did not download every part of the program, so I tried downloading it again and I got the same message. However I haven’t had any problems in the actual use of AtlasTour. The trip info is converted into the map as a purple line and pictures taken on the ride can be uploaded and are automically posted to the points of the ride where they were taken. The device has settings for cycling, walking, running and driving. It also has settings for English and a 24 hour clock. In addition to the computer itself, a usb cable, bicycle mount, power chord, and one page instruction comes included. With a full charge (4 hours) the ASG-1 can last for 12 hours (as stated on the website).

The ASG-1 does not track cadence and speed/distance is not as exact as a conventional cycling computer, but I’ve been pleased by its functions, especially since I can carry it around for walks.

Also this device does not display a map, nor does it tell you specific directions, only a general direction (N, NE, NW, S, SE, SW, E, W).

I saw some other GPS receivers with a similar price made by i-gotU that had some positive reviews on Amazon, but unlike the Atlas receivers, I have not seen them sold in cycling shops in the Tokyo area. Perhaps there are shops that carry them, I just haven’t seen any.

So far the ASG-1 does everything the way I thought it would.

The next step is to figure out how to post my mapped rides on the blog.