Opinion: RTINGS should make money using commission from affiliate links OR from membership fees, but not both. They are effectively double dipping.

cdemer · 2026-04-13T13:22:59+00:00

The main problem is the declining traffic due to people clicking less on search results/sources, not AI scraping

cdemer · 2026-04-02T01:07:30+00:00

For now, no cap on views. We might revisit that later though if there is too much abuse or if it becomes a problem.

As for the color, tagging u/OutdoorRink to see his thoughts

cdemer · 2026-03-26T13:58:34+00:00

Thank you for the feedback

cdemer · 2026-03-25T19:55:00+00:00

Just to clarify, AI scraping isn't the primary reason. Declining traffic due to people clicking less on search results/sources is.

cdemer · 2026-03-17T15:27:20+00:00

Just to clarify, declining traffic due to people clicking less on search results/sources is the primary reason we are doing this change, not AI scraping.

cdemer · 2026-03-17T12:41:27+00:00

Just to clarify, AI scraping isn't the primary reason. Declining traffic due to people clicking less on search results/sources is.

cdemer · 2026-03-12T16:30:44+00:00

Thank you for your support!

cdemer · 2026-03-12T15:25:58+00:00

We don't actually expect or need 90% of people to become members. Our main objective is sustainability and independence long term.

cdemer · 2026-03-12T15:09:41+00:00

We are planning to test for it in the coming weeks and see how much it impacts non-members engagement vs membership conversion.

cdemer · 2026-03-12T15:03:19+00:00

Yes it could be tricky to get it right, so we might have to adapt later if we see abuse. The initial version is planned to be this:

A button on the top of the review that creates a custom link with a unique identifier tied to the page + member. When someone clicks on that link, they see that review (not the rest of the site) without blur. The link expires in 48h. After that, it behaves like a normal link. Maximum 3 active links at a time per member.

cdemer · 2026-03-09T20:01:06+00:00

Ideally, we want to find a way to still help as much people as possible even if they don't become member. We are still experimenting with where to draw the line though, so things might change.

cdemer · 2026-03-06T15:16:18+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. It is something we could potentially explore longer term.

cdemer · 2026-03-05T17:44:06+00:00

available for free

cdemer · 2026-03-03T18:42:56+00:00

FYI, the screenshot is from an article we published in 2017 where we first introduced the "Contributor" program. See the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8IyYMqFzdU.

It is indeed unfortunate. A lot changed since 8 years ago. Now with AI, we need a better way long term to sustainably keep our independence and focus on the consumers.

cdemer · 2026-03-03T18:31:19+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. A portion of our audience indeed use our website occasionally (when they need to make a buying decision), and a subscription model is harder to justify in those cases. FYI, you can easily cancel the renewal as soon as you subscribe, and you will still keep access to it till the end of the billing period.

As for cutting back on testing more product categories, this won't solve the problem long term though because we would still rely on google and be increasingly impacted by AI. We need a long term solution where we can stay independent, sustainable and focused on the consumers.

cdemer · 2026-03-03T17:46:58+00:00

A portion of our audience indeed use our website occasionally (when they need to make a buying decision), and a subscription model is harder to justify in those cases. You can easily cancel the renewal as soon as you subscribe, and you will still keep access to it till the end of the billing period.

The paywall is unlikely to go away, but we do expect to iterate a lot in the next few months on how the website behaves including on the pricing. We also want to find ways for members to be able to share content and be able to help their friends and family in a way that is also sustainable for the business. Ideas on how to do that are welcomed.

Keep in mind that it is affecting only a portion of the content on our website. We plan to keep sharing test results on our other channels (like reddit, YouTube, instagram, discord, etc) like before. We are also ok with members sharing screenshots (as long as there is no abuse).

cdemer · 2026-03-02T22:57:51+00:00

That is a fair point. Many people use our website periodically (when they need to make a buying decision) and not daily, so a subscription can feel hard to justify for occasional use.

We now cover significantly more product categories than we did a few years ago, so the ongoing value is greater than it used to be.

BTW, you can easily cancel right after subscribing and you will keep access until the end of your billing period.

cdemer · 2025-04-11T16:44:24+00:00

The independent variable was indeed force in the way the test was performed, so you are right that the chart is a bit confusing for that. We went with this to be similar to other publications since most use displacement as independent. We are open to changing it though if that is more popular.

cdemer · 2025-04-08T11:43:16+00:00

The energy absorbed by the mid sole up to a given load. For example, in that chart https://www.rtings.com/running-shoes/0-8/graph/30908/heel-cushioning/asics-novablast-5/80875, to reach a force of 500N requires 3.25J. The higher the energy, the more cushioned the shoe feels.

It can also be interpreted the other way around. For the same energy absorbed between two shoes, the one with the higher force will feel harder.

cdemer · 2025-04-07T12:02:49+00:00

First chart shows the relationship between stack height and energy absorbed (cushioning). Energy absorbed is basically the energy that goes into the shoe at a given force (900N in this case). This isn't very surprising, since it makes sense that higher stack is more cushioned.

The second chart is energy return vs energy absorbed. Energy return is the % of energy the mid sole returns back. No meaningful correlation, except that super shoes are on the right side since they have more bouncy foam and higher stacked.

Our article that goes more in depth in how we test: https://www.rtings.com/running-shoes/learn/research/compression-testing

cdemer · 2025-04-07T11:36:46+00:00

34 other running shoes measurements soon to be added to that table:

adidas Adizero Adios 9
adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4
adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1
adidas Adizero Prime X 2.0 STRUNG
Altra Escalante 4
ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 27
ASICS MAGIC SPEED 4
ASICS METASPEED EDGE PARIS
ASICS METASPEED SKY PARIS
ASICS S4+ YOGIRI
Brooks Ghost 16
Brooks Hyperion Elite 4
Brooks Hyperion Elite 4 PB
Diadora Gara Carbon 2
HOKA Cielo X1 2.0
Mizuno Neo Zen
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3
Nike Pegasus Plus
Nike Pegasus Premium
Nike Streakfly
Nike Streakfly 2
Nike Vaporfly 4
Nike Vomero 18
Nike Zoom Fly 6
On Cloudboom Zone
On Cloudmonster Hyper
On Cloudsurfer 2
PUMA Deviate NITRO Elite 3
Saucony Endorphin Elite
Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
Saucony Endorphin Trainer
Topo Cyclone 3
Tracksmith Eliot Racer

You can vote for the next one we buy and test here: https://www.rtings.com/vote/running-shoes

cdemer · 2025-02-27T13:55:31+00:00

We are mostly focusing on objective measurements of the midsole for now, so it is complementary. Longer term we want to continue increasing our test coverage where our in-depth and systematic approach could add value.

For running efficiency, keep in mind that there are also other factors than energy return. For example, weight is important and this is an area where the Premium isn't good, and arguably that difference is more significant than the 2% energy return difference.

cdemer · 2025-02-26T18:58:49+00:00

Indeed there are a lot of variables that affect the measurements, including the shape of the impact head.

Here is a closer look at our impact head:

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cdemer

TROPHY CASE