Every shoe goes through the same four stages before it gets a number. No shortcuts for shoes we like, no penalties for brands we do not.
Bought at full retail from a public retailer. No samples, no seeding, and we never tell a brand what is being tested.
A fixed mix of surfaces, with readings taken at 100, 200 and 300km so we can plot degradation instead of guessing at it.
Weight, stack, drop, durometer at four points, energy return, peak impact, torsional rigidity, puncture resistance, grip and lug loss.
The shoe is cut in half. Plate delamination, foam voids and adhesive failures only become visible here, and this is where most claims fall apart.
Scores are weighted toward durability and measured performance, not first impressions. A shoe that feels wonderful for 100km and dies at 250 will not score well here. Comfort is recorded, but it never outweighs the numbers.