Your choice depends entirely on your riding style, terrain, and local weather conditions.

Shimano L04C-MF is a sintered metal pad built for ultimate durability and high stopping power

Shimano L05A-RF is an organic resin pad designed for smooth modulation and quiet performance.

Both models feature Shimano's Ice-Tech cooling fins and are fully cross-compatible with the same 2-piston road and gravel flat-mount calipers (such as Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105, and GRX).

Important Check:

Before buying the metallic L04C-MF pads, look closely at your brake discs. Some budget-tier Shimano entry rotors are strictly stamped with "Resin Only". Running metal pads on those will ruin the rotors rapidly.