How do I remove the traction pads to put on new ones?Updated 22 days ago

In most cases, all you need to do is locate the seam between two pads, grab the edge of one, and then peel it up and off like a big sticker to take it off. Then repeat down the line until all pads are gone. If a bit of adhesive gets left behind, you can just stick the new pads right over that, so don't worry about trying to make the surface perfectly clean.

If the pads have been in use for a very long time and have developed a strong grip on the plastic, you'll want to heat them up in order to loosen the adhesive. A hair dryer works nicely for this—just focus the dryer on one pad at a time, heat it up until it feels hot, and then grab that pad and peel it. Then heat the next one in line and repeat until all have been removed.

If your pads have seen much better days and are largely pieces or fragments at this point and you're having trouble getting them to peel off cleanly (or you can't get a good grip on them at all), slap some duct tape (or similarly durable) tape firmly down over the foam patches, heat the tape up with a hair dryer, and then peel the tape back up. It'll bring any foam it was sitting on along for the ride, and repeat as needed to clear off the surface of the wheel.

If you don't want to bother with breaking out the hair dryer, you can also simply apply the new pads directly on top of the old. Just wipe the surface down first to clear off any dust or fur that might hinder adhesion. If you've got felt pads on the wheel, bear in mind that the new ones might not stick very well to this kind of surface. We haven't had a chance to test it ourselves, so we can't say how long such a setup will last.

Other tricks that have worked for folks are soaking the wheel in warm, soapy water a section at a time (of course, this does require access to a fairly sizeable tub in order to submerge even part of the wheel), or using an adhesive remover like Goo Gone to soak the pads and weaken the adhesive. You may need to pry up at least part of the pad to make sure the solvent can reach it. Pairing a scraping tool with it can help make this process go faster.