Best E-Bike Brake Pads (2026)

Every week someone writes in with the same story. New e-bike, loving it, and the pads that lasted a season on the old bike are gone in a month. Nothing went wrong. E-bikes are brilliant. They're also brutal on brake pads.

E-bike braking is a heat problem. More weight and more speed mean more heat in the pads, and heat is what wears them out and fades them. The fix isn't exotic. It's the right pad shape for your brakes and a compound that can take the abuse.

Know your brake model already? Browse the e-bike brake pads collection, everything ships from North Vancouver, BC.

Why e-bikes chew through brake pads

Brakes turn speed into heat. An e-bike carries more mass, and the motor has you back up to speed the moment you're off the brakes, so the pads do more work per ride and spend more of it hot. That shows up as faster wear, more noise, and on long descents, fade. The park loves to eat pads, and an e-bike brings a bit of the park to every ride. Checking pads more often is normal, not a defect.

Which pads fit your e-bike brakes?

E-bike brakes use the same pad shapes as their regular counterparts. Find your brake model on the caliper body, then match it here:

  • Shimano 4-piston (XT M8120, SLX M7120, Deore M6120, Saint, Zee), The most common spec on e-MTBs. All of them take our Shimano D-Type and N-Type 4-piston pads in Sintered, Gravity and Trail.
  • Tektro and TRP e-bike brakes, The Tektro Auriga+ HD-E740, Auriga Twin+ HD-E745, Dorado 4P HD-E720/E725 and TRP E-Zurich share that same D/N-type pad shape. The 2-piston Tektro Dorado HD-E710 runs its own dedicated pad in Sintered.
  • Magura MT5e / MT5 eStop, Same shape as the MT5 and MT7. Our Magura MT5 and MT7 pads come in Sintered, Gravity and Trail. Full details in our MT5 and MT7 guide.
  • SRAM Code, A frequent pick on heavier bikes. Code pads in Sintered, Gravity and Trail.
  • Shimano 2-piston (B-type) on commuter e-bikes, Lots of commuter e-bikes run older-style Shimano 2-piston calipers. B-Type and M0-Type pads cover them in Sintered, Gravity and Trail.
  • Surron, Talaria and other e-motos, Surron Light Bee S and X, Talaria Sting R, Altis Rawrr and Sigma, and Mantis X models all take the Shimano D/N-type 4-piston shape.

Best compound for e-bike brakes

Sintered, The default answer for most e-bike riders. The longest-wearing compound we carry and the most at home in wet, gritty conditions, exactly what a heavy bike dishes out. It's also the loudest of the three. Check your rotors aren't resin-only before running it.

Gravity, My favourite around here. It holds up well under high heat and outlasts Trail, at the cost of a longer bed-in and some noise while it settles. Heavy bike, heavy rider, one pad for everything, this is usually it.

Trail, The quietest of the three and the fastest to bed in, with the shortest lifespan. It brakes much like Gravity, so it's fine on a lighter e-bike or mellow terrain. A heavy bike on steep descents will just wear it out sooner.

On Shimano-shape 4-piston pads we also offer a finned option for sustained descents. Not everyone needs fins, but a full-weight e-MTB on long braking sections will use them. The plates are reusable, just replace the pads.

One more thing I tell heavier riders: run the biggest rotors your bike allows. More rotor means more heat capacity.

When pads aren't enough: upgrading the brakes

Some e-bikes ship with brakes that were never sized for the job, and new pads only get you so far. The Lewis LH4 4-piston brake set is where I point most riders, precision-machined from 7075 aluminum, running mineral oil, and built for enduro rigs, downhill bikes, e-MTBs and even e-motos. The Lewis AX steps it up further, engineered for MTB, e-MTB and e-MX riders with a mono-block caliper and cooling fins.

Surron riders ask about six-piston brakes a lot. More pistons doesn't necessarily mean more power, mostly more pistons to deal with. A good four-piston like the AX does the job with less fuss.

For riders already on Lewis AX or EB calipers, the Lewis EP-44 sintered pads are the e-bike-focused replacement, built for heat dissipation and extended lifespan. There's also the Lewis VP-44 carbon ceramic pads for high-speed, long-descent braking with less noise.

Our e-bike brake pad recommendations

  • e-MTB on Shimano 4-piston, Tektro or TRP, D/N-type pads in Sintered. Add the finned option for long descents.
  • Magura MT5e, MT5/MT7 pads in Sintered or Gravity.
  • Quiet commuter, Gravity, in whichever shape your brake takes. Longer life than Trail without sintered's noise.
  • Lewis AX / EB calipers, EP-44 sintered pads.

A Loam Goat pad order is 2 Pairs (4 Pads), enough for front and rear. Lewis branded pads such as the EP-44 are sold as a single pair, so add 2 to cover both brakes. Every set is covered by our 60-Day Guarantee. Browse the full e-bike collection.

FAQ

Do I need special e-bike rated brake pads?

No. The shape is the same as the regular version of your brake, so fitment doesn't change. What changes is how hard the pads work, so pick the compound accordingly. Sintered or Gravity handle the heat and mileage best.

What brake pads fit a Surron or Talaria?

Surron Light Bee S and X and Talaria Sting R models take the same pad shape as Shimano 4-piston brakes. Our D/N-type pads will work for you.

How often should I check pads on an e-bike?

More often than you think. Have a look every few rides, and replace once the pad material is under about 1mm. Wet-season e-bike commuting eats pads fastest of all.

Can I run sintered pads on my e-bike's rotors?

Usually, but check first. Some lighter rotors are resin-only, and sintered pads will wear them out early. If yours are resin-only, run Gravity or Trail, or upgrade the rotors.

Not sure what's on your e-bike? Send us a message with a photo of the caliper and we'll match the pad for you.

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