Changing Forward Lean: Shiva and Factor MX
(Last Updated On: January 31, 2015)
Brittany and I have been demoing Black Diamond Shiva MX and Factor MX boots for the past month or so. The factory setting on these boots is 18°, but can be adjusted by 4°, depending on preference. Brittany really wanted to adjust the forward lean, but this isn’t a straightforward process by any means- hence this post. for our full review of these products, please use the highlighted text for the Factor and the Shiva.
The instruction manual and BD’s website don’t make it very clear where exactly you’re supposed to change the lean. Basically, you have to push the upper cuff as far forward as possible (in walk mode) to expose the lean mechanism, shown here:
The “moon sliver” is what controls the lean, based on its position in the small oval. Changing this position gets tricky, however, so here are some tricks which I learned along the way and will make life much easier should you attempt to change the lean on these boots.
The first step is to press the upper cuff so far forward (in walk mode) that it gets caught in the removable spoiler (with the liners out). This photo should make it clearer:
This will allow you to work on the boot without fighting the cuffs the entire time. Next, take a look at the underside of the lock mechanism:
See that spring? That spring will want to pop out when you remove the bolt to switch the “moon”. It is really difficult to put back in, so steps should be taken to keep the spring in there. Don’t worry, I have a trick, so keep reading… Take the two allen keys that Black Diamond provides, and unscrew the short end, making sure that the bolt section stays in the boot. Remove the moon:
Here comes the trick: take one allen, and carefully use it to push the long bolt through. In this way, you are removing the bolt so you can adjust the moon while still keeping the mechanism intact thanks to the allen fitting in the same hole as the bolt, especially the spring. This photo should clear things up:
Now you can reinsert the bolt with the moon in the new position. It will take some trial and error to get the bolt to push the allen back out with everything lined up, but trust me, it’s a whole lot easier when the spring is still in place.
Hope that helps! Ask questions if anything didn’t make sense!
- Bluebird Backcountry Ski Area - February 14, 2020
- Gear Review: Smith 4D MAG Goggles - January 6, 2020
- Gear Review: LEKI Tour Stick Vario Carbon Ski Poles - December 9, 2019
Thanks for the great tip and nice pictures. Do you know the exact purpose of that small spring ? I have Factor MX and last season I tried to change the forward lean, but the spring jumped into the “moon”. I found the spring later, but I didn’t succeed to get it back in place. I use the boot without the spring and I didn’t notice any difference. The cuff still locks and feels secure. I was just wandering if the spring is necessary… now I have more time to try to fight it back into its position.
Great little how to, though i am still not getting how to get 3 different lean settings. All i am getting is 2, the moon up and the moon Down. Where does the 3rd setting come from?
Thanks,
Andrew
pulmark, As far as I could tell when we lost a spring on our first attempt, the spring kept the walk mechanism from flopping around, although it didn’t seem like it was completely necessary for it to function.
Andrew, I’m not sure where I got the 3 position information from- I also only see 2. I’ll correct the post, thanks for the catch.
I succeeded to get the spring back into its position today. At first I tried to put it back from outside but no success. Then I removed the inside spoiler to get a bit more room to move the cuff and carefully pushed the spring back into its position from the inside of the boot and lined it with the hole. Finally I put allen key through the hole to keep the spring in place and then pushed the bolt back.
Have you tried softening these at all? Have the Factor and need to get some more flex out of it.
The forward lean tip was great, thanks!
Larry, I like the flex on the Factor and wouldn’t want them any softer, so I haven’t played around with it. Have you tried a different liner? The stock liner is pretty beefy, and has plastic on the tongue. I bet that switching to a lighter liner like an Intuition would result in some softening.
Hi, the mechanism can get uncovered by taking off the upper part of the shell. Unscrew completely the screws for cuff alignment and take it off. In case the spring jumps out it’s possible to place it back without a struggle. However, blocking it by replacing the bolt with another tool while flipping the moon, as suggested by Frank is a wise idea.
Strange, the angle on my boots was already set to max when I wanted to add more lean. I bought them in 2015.
Thanks- good to know, bonjoe!