Patent ID: 8752681

Claim:
A suspension unit operable between a compressed position and an extended position, comprising: a fixed volume chamber filled with gas; a variable volume chamber filled with gas for biasing the suspension unit toward the extended position; and a valve assembly, comprising: a first valve member operable between: an open position where the first valve member provides open fluid communication between the gas chambers such that volumes of the gas chambers are effectively combined during compression of the suspension unit, and a closed position where the first valve member prevents gas flow from the variable volume chamber to the fixed volume chamber while allowing flow from the fixed volume chamber to the variable volume chamber, and an actuator for physically positioning the first valve member in the open or closed position through physical contact between the valve member and the actuator, the actuator selectively movable by a user between the open and closed positions, wherein the actuator comprises a cam shaft operable between a first position and a second position by operation of a first external accessible controller and a cam follower positionable by the cam shaft to maintain the valve member in an open position when the cam shaft is in the first position and to allow the valve to close when the cam shaft is in the second position; a compression chamber at least substantially filled with damping fluid; a rebound chamber at least substantially filled with the damping fluid; and a damping piston operable to dampen flow of the damping fluid between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber in response to movement of the suspension unit between the positions.