Blast From the Past: Speciality Files—1995 Crestone S.A.S. Comp 202

Editor’s note: This edition of “The Speciality Files” first appeared in Dirt Rag Issue #111, published in November 2004. Words and photos by Maurice Tierney.

Lucien Lewis bought this bike new in 1995 for around $750. The French Canadian suspension design consists of rubber bands adjustable by switching between hard, medium and soft bands.

“If I remember correctly, there was a 101, a 202 and a 303 with different gruppos. I was a motorcycle guy, and the line that hooked me was, ‘The most motorcycle-like suspension available.’ I had just moved to Austin and my hardtail was killing me. This bike made riding in Austin an amazing experience. My friends would cut trails in the scrub brush in the mornings and we would ride them in the afternoons. Stellar!”

Further research at First Flight Bicycles in Statesville, North Carolina, revealed an advertisement reading, “New for 1995: The 4.5” front and 3” rear travel, stretch elastomer suspension keeps the wheels on the ground for optimal control and comfort at any speed over the roughest terrain.” According to expert class racer Rob Wesson of Velocity Bike Couriers in Colorado Springs, “The radically different S.A.S. (Super Active Suspension) offers the smoothest ride yet. The best cross-country and downhill bike I’ve ever raced.”

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