TPC Road & Gravel Disc Brake Pads – Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, Metrea, GRX

Flat-mount disc pads for Shimano's road and gravel groupsets. If you're running Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra, Metrea or GRX with disc brakes, this is the pad your calliper takes — and if you ride through a British winter, it's a part you'll get through faster than you'd like.

What fits

Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 and R9270, Ultegra R8170 and R8070, 105 R7070, Tiagra, Metrea, GRX, and the XTR, XT and SLX callipers that share this flat-mount pad shape.

Not sure which pads your brake takes? Read our disc brake pad fitment guide.

Which compound

Semi-metallic is the sensible default. Consistent bite, holds up in the wet, and it's kind enough to your rotors that you're not replacing those too.

Carbon fibre costs a couple of pounds more and keeps its composure better under sustained heat. Worth it if you ride long descents, ride loaded, or find your braking goes vague towards the bottom of a hill.

Why winter eats road pads

Grit and road salt turn a wet rotor into a grinding paste, and a pad that would last a full season in summer can be finished in six weeks of January riding. Road pads are also small, so there's less material to lose before you're into the backing plate. Check them more often than feels necessary, and keep a spare pair in the drawer — at this price there's no reason not to.

Fitting

One pair per calliper, so order two for front and rear. Bed them in before your first proper ride: around ten firm stops from moderate speed, easing off each time before you come to a halt, so the pad material lays down evenly on the rotor.