Sintered metal pads versus resin pads comes down to where you ride and how much you want to think about your brakes. The Shimano G04S uses a sintered metal compound that handles wet conditions, mud, and extended descents without the fade and glazing issues that plague resin pads when temperatures climb. The trade-off is noise. Metal pads can squeal, especially when cold or contaminated, and they take longer to bed in than resin alternatives. If you ride in consistently dry conditions and prefer quiet brakes, resin might suit you better. If you ride year-round, hit steep descents, or get caught in weather, the G04S delivers consistent stopping power when it counts.

The sintered compound creates friction through metal particles fused under high pressure and temperature, which gives the pad a stable coefficient of friction across a wide temperature range. Where resin pads can soften and glaze when braking surfaces exceed 300 degrees, sintered compounds handle significantly higher temperatures without losing bite. That heat resistance matters on long descents where sustained braking builds temperature faster than it dissipates. The G04S also resists contamination better than organic compounds since metal doesn't absorb oils the way resin does.

Compatibility covers Shimano's 2-piston brake calipers across mountain, road, cyclocross, and gravel applications. The list includes XTR BR-M9000, BR-M9020, BR-M987, and BR-M985, Deore XT BR-M8100, BR-M8000, and BR-M785, SLX BR-M7100, BR-M7000, BR-M675, and BR-M666, Deore BR-M6100, BR-M6000, and BR-M615, Alfine BR-S7000 and BR-S700, plus the road and cyclocross calipers BR-CX77, BR-RS785, BR-R785, BR-R517, and BR-R317. The G04S uses Shimano's Type G narrow pad shape, so confirm your caliper model before ordering.... Read More