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Test Bench 0.11  
Changelog

 0
By David Kroeker-MausUpdated Apr 15, 2026 at 11:04 am

Our running shoe Test Bench 0.11 addresses responsiveness, a multifaceted concept that has not previously been quantified. This update adds five new tests and replaces the Energy Return usage score with a Responsiveness score that takes more factors into consideration. 

Our previous test benches measured Energy Return by vertically compressing the midsole and measuring the amount of force that it returns when decompressing (You can read more about how we test energy return). This gave us a good indication of the bounciness of a shoe's midsole, but didn't fully capture how well a shoe would be able to pick up the pace. For example, shoes like the Saucony Triumph 23 and PUMA Magnify NITRO 3 scored very well on the compression energy return tests, even though community feedback and our subjective experience showed us that these were not highly responsive shoes, due to their geometry.
 

While Energy Return remains relevant when evaluating the responsiveness of a shoe, there are, in practice, a number of other factors that determine how much of the force that a runner applies to a shoe will be converted into forward propulsion. After a review of the scientific literature, discussions of responsiveness in online running communities, and our own subjective experience running in shoes, we identified a shoe's rocker, bending stiffness and bending energy return as key, measurable components of a shoe's responsiveness.

The new tests examine the geometry and stiffness of the midsole, and how these interact to make a running shoe more (or less) responsive to the force applied to them.

The Forefoot Bending Stiffness test is applied to the midsole of the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4.

What's Changed

Test Group Description
Design | Heel Rocker Geometry
  • New measurement of the downward curvature in the rear of the shoe.
  • Measures the height of the Heel Spring is the height of the rocker start point.
  • Measures the Heel Apex Position, i.e. the point where the sole of the shoe begins to touch the ground when sitting flat, which is expressed as a percentage of the shoe's total length (with 0% being the heel of the shoe, and 100% the toe).
  • Calculates the Heel Rocker Angle (i.e. the angle between the ground and the line connecting the Heel Spring and Heel Apex Position.
  • The Heel Rocker Geometry score combines these three measurements (giving equal weight to each), with a higher number indicating a more aggressive heel rocker.
Design | Forefoot Rocker Geometry
  • New measurement of the upward curvature in the front of the shoe.
  • Measures the height of the Toe Spring (the tip of the toe box) from the ground,
  • Measures the Toe Apex Position, which is the point at which the sole of the shoe starts to rise from the ground,  expressed as a percentage of the shoe's total length (with 0% being the heel of the shoe, and 100% the toe).
  • Calculates the Forefoot Rocker Angle (i.e. the angle between the ground and the line connecting these two points)
  • Overall Forefoot Rocker Geometry score combines these three measurements (giving equal weight to each), with a higher number indicating a more aggressive forefoot rocker.
Performance | Rocker Stiffness
  • New test of how well the midsole resists deformation of its rocker shape under load.
  • Evaluated by compressing the forefoot rocker with a linear actuator until the insole becomes flat under the foot region.
  • The Rocker Stiffness score is based on data collected after fifteen preconditioning cycles. A higher score indicates a stiffer rocker. 
Performance | Forefoot Bending Energy Return
  • New test of how much of the energy stored while bending the shoe is returned when the shoe unbends.
  • Evaluated by placing the midsole in a 3-point bending fixture mounted on a compression testing machine, and bending locally along the line where the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints should be located, which corresponds to 73% of the foot's total length.
  • The Forefoot Bending Energy Return score is based on the percentage of energy that the midsole returns after up to 20 mm displacement.
Performance |Forefoot Bending Stiffness
  • New test of how well the forefoot of the shoe resists bending.
  • Obtained by placing the midsole in a 3-point bending fixture mounted on a compression testing machine, and bending locally along the line where the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints should be located, which corresponds to 73% of the foot's total length.
  • The Forefoot Bending Stiffness score takes into account both bending stiffness and bending force at 15mm displacement.

Each of these aspects plays a role in moving your foot forward when force is applied to a running shoe's midsole. By synthesizing the results of multiple tests, we created a new usage score, Responsiveness, which is explained below.

Verdicts And Usages

Performance Usage Description Weighting
Responsiveness Replaces the Energy Return usage, and considers multiple factors that determine how well the shoe converts the force applied by the runner into forward propulsion.

New Responsiveness score calculated using:

  • Forefoot Bending Energy Return (25%)
  • Forefoot Bending Stiffness (20%)
  • Forefoot Compression Energy Return (17.5%)
  • Forefoot Rocker Geometry (15%)
  • Rocker Stiffness (15%)
  • Heel Compression Energy Return (7.5%)

The Responsiveness score is meant to show how efficiently a shoe accelerates when greater force is applied. For this reason, we focused on forefoot and toe-off mechanics and have not incorporated heel rocker geometry into Responsiveness. Instead, we plan on considering heel rocker geometry when developing new usage scores, such as long run and daily training.

Conclusion

This update not only expands the concept of energy return by measuring the bending energy return of the midsole, but also moves beyond energy return as the only metric for how responsive a running shoe is. The new tests give the most comprehensive picture to date of how aggressive and efficient a running shoe's rocker is at aiding forward propulsion. The forefoot bending stiffness test will better accounts for the role of a plate in contributing to the midsole's responsiveness, and marks the first attempt to quantify the 'snappiness' of a shoe's forefoot. Taken together, these new tests will help runners choose a shoe that matches their performance goals.

Let Us Know What You Think

With this update, we have expanded the number of aspects we test when evaluating running shoes, and developed a new responsiveness usage score. We plan to continue iterating on our test methodology, incorporating the responsiveness elements into other usages, such as Marathon Racing and 5k/10k Racing. If you have suggestions or ideas to help guide this development (or other concepts you'd like to see tested), feel free to comment on any page or reach out at feedback@rtings.com. Your feedback has been essential in shaping our methodology, and we're grateful for your continued input.

15 Running Shoes Updated So Far

We are retesting popular models first. So far, the test results for the following models have been converted to the new testing methodology. However, the text might be inconsistent with the new results.

131 Running Shoes Planned To Be Updated

We are also planning to retest the following products over the course of the next few weeks:

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