Best Brake Pads for Shimano Brakes (2026)

You're standing in your garage after a muddy North Shore ride, and your Shimano brakes are making that grinding metal-on-metal sound. Time for new pads. But which ones actually fit your calipers?

Shimano uses 4 main pad shapes across their entire brake lineup. Once you know which shape your caliper takes, you just pick the compound that matches how you ride. That's it. No mystery.

Which Shimano brake pad shape do I need?

Here's the breakdown. Shimano's naming is confusing, but the shapes themselves are simple:

  • D-type / N-type, For all Shimano 4-piston brakes: XT M8120, XTR M9120, Saint M820, Zee M640. D02S is their organic version, N04C is their sintered version. Same shape, different compound.
  • G-type / J-type, For 2-piston trail brakes: Deore M6100, SLX M7100, XT M8100, XTR M9100. These are the most common pads we sell at Loam Goat.
  • B-type, For older 2-piston brakes: Deore M6000, SLX M675, XT M785. If your brake pre-dates the M_100 series, you probably need B-type.
  • K-type, For Shimano road and gravel disc brakes: GRX RX400/RX810, Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105 hydraulic disc. Smaller pad, lighter caliper.

If you're not sure which brake you have, look at the model number stamped on the caliper body. It's usually on the side facing the spokes.

Best compound for Shimano trail brakes

This depends on where and how you ride. We've sold thousands of sets and here's what we recommend:

Sintered (metallic), Best for wet conditions, steep terrain, and riders who drag brakes on long descents. They bite harder when wet and last 2-3x longer than organic in mucky conditions. Our heavy e-bike riders almost always run sintered. The trade-off? Slightly more rotor wear and they can be noisy in dry weather.

Organic (resin), Quieter, more initial bite, better modulation in dry conditions. Great for XC riding and fair-weather trail rides. They wear faster in the wet, though. If you ride year-round in BC or the Pacific Northwest, organic pads won't last.

Gravity compound, This is what we developed at Loam Goat for riders who want the best of both. Strong wet-weather bite like sintered, but with better modulation and less rotor noise. It's our most popular compound for Shimano trail brakes, and honestly, it's what we'd put on our own bikes.

For most trail riders, we recommend Gravity or sintered. Organic is fine if you only ride in summer.

Shimano 4-piston vs 2-piston pad differences

The 4-piston Shimano brakes (Saint, Zee, XT M8120, XTR M9120) use the D-type/N-type pad shape. It's wider than the 2-piston pad because it needs to cover all 4 pistons.

The 2-piston trail brakes (Deore, SLX, XT M8100, XTR M9100) use the smaller G-type/J-type shape. These are narrower.

They are not interchangeable. A 4-piston pad won't fit a 2-piston caliper, and vice versa. This is the single most common mistake we see people make when ordering. Double-check your caliper model before you buy.

Do Shimano GRX and road brakes use the same pads?

Yes. GRX (both RX400 and RX810), Dura-Ace, Ultegra, and 105 hydraulic disc brakes all use the K-type pad shape. One pad fits the whole Shimano road and gravel range.

K-type pads are noticeably smaller than any of the mountain bike pads. They're designed for lighter braking loads on road and gravel bikes. Don't try to run mountain pads in a road caliper. They won't fit anyway, but just in case you were wondering.

At Loam Goat, we carry K-type pads in both organic and sintered. For gravel riders who see real off-road conditions, sintered is the better choice. For pure road, organic is fine.

Our Shimano brake pad recommendations

Here's what we'd grab off the shelf for each setup:

Browse our full range of Shimano brake pads to find the exact match for your caliper.

FAQ

Are D02S and N04C pads the same shape?

Yes. D-type and N-type are the same pad shape for Shimano 4-piston brakes. D02S is Shimano's organic version, N04C is their metal/sintered version. Any pad that fits one fits the other.

Do I need finned pads for my Shimano brakes?

Only if you're doing long sustained descents. Finned pads help with heat on bike park laps but aren't necessary for typical trail rides.

Can I use sintered pads in Shimano brakes with resin-only rotors?

Check your rotor. Some lightweight Shimano rotors (RT-MT800, some Ice Tech) are rated for resin pads only. Running sintered pads on a resin-only rotor can cause premature rotor wear. Most trail and enduro rotors handle sintered fine.

How often should I change Shimano brake pads?

Check pad thickness every few rides. When the pad material is under 1mm thick, swap them. In wet conditions that might be every 2-3 months. Dry summer riding, 4-6 months.

Got questions about which Shimano pads fit your specific brake? Drop us a message and we'll sort you out.

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