They undoubtedly do some testing. Some good engineering, put on some really cool names, plus add a lot of hype.

It is like the flat-proof Marathons that I managed to get a flat with in the first couple of days riding.

As far as I can tell, the blue stuff gives it tread depth, but not particular puncture resistance. The depth, of course, helps with some stuff like small fragments of glass that may not work themselves through to the tube very quickly, but it is sliced open by large shards of glass.

What the big companies can offer is they can hire a few dozen athletes to go out and pound on their tires for 100+ miles a day, 7 days a week. Literally racking up more total miles in a day than most people put in a year, with each rider grinding through a set of tires every few weeks.

But, there is no guarantee that their "pro team" is actually using the same tires that people are using for commuting, or riding in the same terrain.

A good company would do comparative studies between their tires and other brands. Unfortunately the data collected is never published unless it clearly indicates better performance for the sponsor. BIAS Anybody?

Obviously there is a problem with anecdotes, but people can relate their real-world experiences.