Freedride mounting

I know this has been discussed a lot on P Mag, but I think the old links referring to this subject have been deleted (I searched and couldn't find them). In a nutshell, I'm mounting some Explosives with Freerides and remember reading that removing the toe shim might be a good idea to get a better (forward lean) angle. For those that have 'em, did you mount them stock, or remove the shim? If you mounted 'em stock, did you feel like the flatter stance threw you in the backseat at all? Thanks for any suggestions.

I did not, and yes, they are a bit flatter, which bugged me at first (cause I did find myself getting back) but I got used to it pretty quick.

i mounted everything stock and on the line. found myself a bit back, would mount them foward .5 to 1.5 or take to shim off, watch out for screw lenght !!!

I had the same weird backseat feeling, but now it is fine.

Would this small mod mess with being able to warranty them?

Thanks for the input guys. Has anyone out there actually removed the shim? If so, did you have any probs? I think I'm leaning towards mounting them a little forward.....

Milkman did you get yoru freerides from Jay as part of the group deal? I ordered a pair but haven't heard or seen anything yet. Just wondering if you got yours.

Hey Mex. I did order mine from Jay about two and a half weeks ago and still haven't heard anything. I was thinking about sending him an e-mail to see if everything is still cool.

i'm a bit sketched about taking out the toe shim... trying to figure out how to mount the freeride/phat luv setup i got for my girlfriend

i think i will do it a .5 inch forward. does that sound good to you freeride vets? i'm a slowboarder - don't know this chit.

At first I wanted to pull the toe shim, but then after getting used to a very flat binding it didn't seem to matter anywhere except hardpack nuking at Mach looney. And if that's what you're looking to ski, you shouldn't be on a Freeride anyway! I figure those Fritschi designers know more about bindings than I do, and if they think it's a good idea, well then, so do I.

gonzo, that's a sweet rig your girl has.

Phat Luv is a good all-round ski, but it's definitely at home in deep snow. That being the case, if you mount it .5" forward, it'll make the ski less floaty but more maneuverable in tight spots. But .5" is so insignificant, she won't know the freaking difference.

After messing with forward mounts for several years, I now do all my mounts boot center. But you've seen me ski and know that I could probably benefit from a little more "turnability" from my ski. :)

Just unscrew the tow shim, remove the plastic plate, and rescrew in. Watch the screw lenght so they dont dimple the base and try it. Resrew in by hand so you can feel if the screws are too long I've done this modification and really like it on 195 FC iggys

Why not build a rear shim?
Seems to be more mechanically sound than removing the toe shim and potenially putting more pressure to the screw.

I didn't end up taking out the shim, mounted them on the line (Explosiv's) and they feel great. I'm not in the backseat at all.