Patent ID: 7490705

Claim:
A bicycle suspension assembly, comprising: first and second telescoping portions that move closer together during compression of the suspension assembly, wherein: 1 ) the first telescoping portion defines a portion of a gas spring that at least partially surrounds and engages the second telescoping portion; and 2 ) the second telescoping portion defines a portion of a damper body having a longitudinal axis and containing damping fluid; a piston coupled to a piston rod; the piston and a portion of the piston rod movable along the longitudinal axis of, and within, the damper body; a reservoir including a reservoir tube having a longitudinal axis non-coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the damper body; an inner surface of the reservoir tube and a moveable sealed barrier partially defining a variable volume reservoir chamber; a compression fluid flow circuit in fluid communication with the damper body and the reservoir chamber for conveying fluid flow from the damper body to the reservoir chamber during a compression stroke, as the piston rod moves further into the damper body; an inertia valve, positioned within the reservoir tube, for at least partially controlling fluid flow resistance through the compression fluid flow circuit, and comprising a slidable inertia mass and a valve shaft surrounded by the inertia mass and guiding translational motion of the inertia mass; and a blow-off valve configured to: a) substantially inhibit fluid flow from the damper body through the blow-off valve in response to fluid pressure in the damper body below a predetermined pressure threshold; b) to permit fluid flow from the damper body through the blow-off valve in response to the fluid pressure in the damper body above the predetermined pressure threshold.