About Solestice Labs
Solestice Labs studies how running shoes wear. Shoe Scan Lab is our field-research program — the survey, the testers, and the dataset behind the work.
Why we exist
Runners replace shoes on folklore: “every 300–500 miles.” But shoes don't wear on a schedule — they wear according to the runner, the surface, the foam, the rubber, and a hundred other variables nobody has measured at scale. Solestice Labs was founded by a runner to change that.
Through Shoe Scan Lab, we collect photographs of running-shoe outsoles — from brand-new pairs to shoes worn straight through the rubber — along with basic context like mileage and running surface. In aggregate, those images become something no lab treadmill can produce: a picture of how running shoes really wear in the wild.
Who we are
Solestice Labs is the trade name of Tubman Technologies LLC, a limited liability company organized in Massachusetts. The project is run from the Boston area, home of some of the most opinionated runners on earth, and works with a growing group of volunteer testers across the United States. Shoe Scan Lab, at shoescanlab.com, is where our data collection lives.
What we do with the data
- We analyze it in aggregate
- Submissions are studied as a dataset — wear patterns by model, mileage, and surface — not as individual profiles.
- We share findings with participants
- Runners who contribute are the first to hear what we learn about shoe durability and lifespan.
- We don't sell your personal information
- Contact details are used to run the study — never sold. Full details in our Privacy Policy.
Get involved
The fastest way to contribute is the Wear Survey — it takes about two minutes. Runners who want to go deeper can ask about the Tester Program, where you photograph the same pair on a regular schedule as it wears. Reach us any time at general@shoescanlab.com or (617) 893-3372.