Vorsprung Telum: The Most Tunable Coil Shock for Custom Builds
Dec 12, 2025
We’ve all been there. You spend months meticulously planning your dream build. You pore over geometry charts until your eyes blur, debating the finer points of head tube angles on that Banshee Titan or the reach numbers on a Chromag Lowdown. You agonize over hub engagement points, cockpit setup, and tire casings. It’s a labor of love.
But then, all too often, we see folks slap a generic, off-the-shelf shock on the back of these masterpieces and call it a day. It’s a bit like putting all-season commuter tires on a Formula 1 car — sure, it rolls, but are you really experiencing what that chassis is capable of?
If you’re going down the rabbit hole of a custom mountain bike build, your suspension requires the same level of intentionality as your frame choice. Enter the Vorsprung Telum — a piece of precision engineering that doesn’t just manage bumps; it fundamentally transforms the ride characteristic of your bike.
For a Deep Dive Check This Out
The Thermal Stability Equation
Let’s get technical for a moment, because the "fade" factor is the silent killer of performance on long descents. Whether you’re smashing bike park laps or navigating a 3,000-foot descent in the PNW backcountry, your shock is converting kinetic energy into heat at an alarming rate.
The Air Shock Dilemma
Air shocks are fantastic for weight savings and pop, but they act as thermal insulators. As the damper oil heats up, the air spring expands. The result? Your spring rate ramps up, your rebound speeds up due to the thinning oil, and the bike that felt plush and composed in the parking lot becomes harsh and skittish by lap four. It’s a moving target that makes consistent tuning nearly impossible.
The Standard Coil Limitation
Even mass-production coil shocks aren't immune. Many utilize smaller oil volumes and restrictive flow paths that choke under high-frequency inputs. They handle heat better than air, but often lack the sophisticated damping circuits required to keep pace with modern, complex leverage curves.
The Telum isn't just eye candy; it’s packed with smart features that translate directly to trail performance.
1. Massive Oil Volume & Thermal Stability
The Telum is designed with a reservoir and main body that hold a significantly higher volume of oil compared to its competitors. More oil equates to superior heat dissipation. This thermal stability means your damping characteristics remain rock-solid. The rebound speed you dial in at the shop is exactly what you’ll feel at the bottom of a double-black tech trail, regardless of how much energy the shock has absorbed.
2. Twin-Tube Recirculation & Independent Tuning
Most shocks operate within a narrow "sweet spot." If you fall outside that bell curve — maybe you’re a lighter rider on a high-leverage frame or a heavier rider on a linear platform — you’re often compromised.
The Telum utilizes a twin-tube recirculation system that allows for truly independent adjustment of high and low-speed compression and rebound. The circuits don’t cross-talk, meaning you can dial in low-speed support for pedaling without making the shock harsh on high-speed chatter. This exceptionally broad damping range is what makes it a dream for boutique MTB suspension tuning.
3. Hydraulic Bottom-Out Control
We all know the cringe-inducing sound of a harsh bottom-out. The Telum features a hydraulic bottom-out bumper that ramps up damping force in the final percentage of the stroke. It’s not just a rubber bumper smashing against metal; it’s a fluid-dynamic solution that arrests the motion smoothly, maintaining composure even when you’ve used every millimeter of travel.
On The Trail: What Does It Feel Like?
So, how does all this fancy fluid dynamics translate to dirt?
-
Velcro-Like Traction: With zero stiction from air seals, the initial stroke is incredibly sensitive. The rear wheel tracks the ground with precision, finding grip in loose, off-camber sections where other shocks might skip or slide.
-
Mid-Stroke Support: This is the holy grail of suspension performance. The Telum holds the bike up in its travel during high-G berms and compressions, preserving your dynamic geometry when you need it most.
-
Square-Edge Composure: The high-speed compression circuit opens instantaneously to swallow square-edge hits — roots, rocks, braking bumps — and recovers immediately. The rear end doesn’t hang up; it simply erases the impact and carries momentum forward.
A Quick Note on Tuning
It's worth a nod to something you might miss at first glance: every Telum ships with a Sprindex spring. This isn’t just a generic coil spring — it’s a micro-adjustable marvel, letting you fine-tune your spring rate in smaller increments (5lb) than traditional coils. That means you can dial in your sag and support with surgical precision, sidestepping the frustrating 25lb–50lb spring rate margin of error you often get between (and even within) manufacturers.
Tuning flexibility doesn’t end there. The Telum’s external valve design means you can completely re-valve the shock for a different bike or a new rider — and it’s fast. Most shops can handle a retune in under an hour. Bringing this shock to your next build or changing preferences over the seasons isn’t a pain; it’s practically designed for it, making the Telum the most highly and easily tunable shock on the market.
Ideally Suited For The Custom Builder
At Stash Cycles, we live and breathe custom mountain bike builds. We work with frames that have distinct personalities, and the Telum is the chameleon that can adapt to them all.
The Verdict
Is the Vorsprung Telum the best coil shock for enduro? If you’re a rider who views their bike as a precision instrument, absolutely.
It offers a level of consistency and tunability that mass-market shocks simply cannot match. It’s complex, it’s premium, and frankly, it’s brilliant. If you want your custom build to ride exactly how the designer intended — from the first drop-in to the final root garden — the Telum is the upgrade you’ve been waiting for.
