IN-DEPTH: Adidas Prime X 2 Strung 

Ran 20 miles in thr X2 strung and they are epic very fast shoe. They are heavy on your feet. But when you get going the are outstanding, was able to maintain a 6:30/6:40 pace. Cant wait to wear this for my first marathon

I'm at nearly 600 miles on the original Prime X. I have a pair of Strung 1 waiting to replace them in the closet, but they feel good and the rubber is still holding up despite wearing them on limestone trails. They have been great for me in long runs from easy down to half marathon pace. I land forefoot, so the narrow heel doesn't bother me. Not sure how I feel about these changes to the new version.

I'm a huge fan of the PXS v1 (multiple pairs with well over 1,000 miles on them), so I initially I had very high expectations for PX2S based on the hype after the prototype was shown at TRE late last year. Then, there was the "leak" launch in early-August in the green colorway and it was much heavier than expected and many early adopters (as well as some initial reviews) panned it widely. So, my expectations were tempered but I knew I had to at least give it a try. Perhaps it was due to all the negative reviews I've seen/read and my expectations were greatly lowered, but the PX2S didn't feel as heavy or bad as I had been led to believe. It did feel firmer and clunky at first compared to the v1 but, as I put in more mile with an open mind, I grew to like it more and more. Now, I have over 100 miles on the PX2S and I think I actually prefer it over v1 and has already become my primary long run shoe. It's not as crazy bouncy, propulsive, exciting, and fun as the v1, but I'd say it retains at least 80% of those characteristics while providing much better stability across the entire base of the shoe. Due to the much improved stability, it doesn't even feel as high of a stack as the v1 or even the SC Trainer v1. At the same time, it has a more of a "set-and-forget" type of feel, character, and ride to it while the v1 has this constant adrenaline-rush kind of feel and ride to it. As you say, Matt, it's completely different kind of shoe. Stability on the v1 was not an issue for me as I'm primarily a forefoot/mid-foot striker, but I always have to be mindful or conscious about turning corners, jumping on/off sidewalks, dodging pothole and cracks/seams on the road, going fast downhill and needing to put on the brakes with the heel, or trying to run slow. I did roll my ankle twice with the v1 - once while running on the sidewalk and there were two kids walking towards me side-by-side with their heads buried in their phone and I had to jump off the sidewalk and my left foot landed on a seam and it was pretty bad. Fortunately, I was able to recover from it quickly as my ankles are strong but that was scary. Another time, I was careless while running through a park road and just stepped on a crack and that could have been very bad as well. Since these two incidents, I've been paying close attention to the road ahead of me while running in the v1 - even on routes I'm very familiar with, which kind of takes the fun out of it. Running in the v2, the greatly improved stability allows me to run in a much more carefree manner - like it was a "normal" stack height shoe. It's been an almost "liberating" experience. And, then, there's the ride, which is quite different but becomes more addictive with more miles. That's the thing with Adizero shoes and the Lightstrike Pro foam. They just feel better and better with more miles. With the PX2S, I found that I've had to adjust my gait cycle a bit to really hit that sweet spot in the forefoot where there are three layers of foam or what Adidas calls 'Energy Core'. Then, I'd roll through smoothly with the toe-off and I find that it's almost as propulsive and speedy as the v1 when I want to pick up the pace and lock it in. Locking in the pace with the v2 is where I think this shoe really shines. I find it better than the v1 for keeping a certain pace even and steady. It's more controllable and the propulsion is more directed forward than upwards. The improved stability also makes it very good for easy/recovery/slow paces although this, to me, is still an uptempo type of shoe. I can slow down to 9'~10'/mile paces and not feel wobbly. For me, the sweet spot pace for this v2 is around 7'30"~7'45"/mile, but what surprised me is how well it does for faster paces despite its weight gain. I did some threshold runs at 6'00"~6'30" paces and some speed workouts with paces up to 4'35"/mile and it felt smooth, controlled, and steady. Shifting gears is harder on this shoe due to the weight but it can be done and then it feels really good at almost whatever you throw at it. But, in the end, what this shoe is the best at is for long runs at tempo or marathon paces. For me, this is the ultimate long distance cruiser I've been looking for. The v1 can do this too but, to me, it's more of a race/speed kind of shoe. The v2 is comfortable, smooth, protective, and super well-cushioned but also retains the responsiveness and the fun factor of the v1. I had been using the v1, Adios Pro 3, and the ASICS GlideRide 3 for long runs (13~20 miles) but I found the v1 always made me run faster than I want to, the AP3 tended to do the same but also has the upper comfort issue that I'm always haggling with, and the GlideRide 3 is certainly steady but just too boring. The PX2S is now main and probably the only long run shoe I need. Looking forward to more thoughts from you after more mile, Matt. I'm pretty much in agreement with everything you've said and will certainly check out your written review as well. This shoe isn't for everyone and definitely not for beginners or casual runners who run maybe 10 miles per week. I wouldn't recommend this to experienced runners either unless they were looking for a certain usage case, which is for long runs with some pop and a good amount of bounce, plenty of protection for the legs and feet, and stability for enjoyable cruises.

Excited to buy it on clearance in a year or two... I'm pretty happy to hear that it's become less "fast" and more stable.

I have strung v2 and I agree with everything you said. the midsole "broke" after 50 km and it got much better!

The heel Bevel in the Boston 12 and Pro 3 perfect for me 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻. I guess they made the Prime X2 for me 🎉🎉🎉

Awesome in-depth take

I had quite the journey with this shoe, because I really wanted it to work: This is my long run and long easy run trainer now. And I even got 2 pairs now., because there is nothing that feels similar out there. First I had to figure out the right lacing, the first 2 runs I had maaaaassive problems with that shoe. The plastic eyelet was killing me, it even put pressure on my ankle when I stand in them. I glued some little soft pads inside this area (around 2mm thick) and made it a lot better, yet it didnt disappeared. I had to use the runners knot otherwise I had a massive heel slippage. (no, its not too big, I only have an index finger wide in front of the shoe). The solution was to lace the forefoot and midfoot area really really tight, what is unusual since I have somewhat wide feed. So basically I had to do the opposite of what I have to lace usually. The problem with the plastic eyelet still didnt disappear entirely, as soon my running form starts to suffer it becomes uncomfortable, so if anyone have advices for that, very much appreciated. But otherwise, this shoe is the perfect and ultimate cruiser. It really hates any kind of bumbs on the street, the running form suffers a lot from it and then it turns into an unstable mess. But otherwise, as I said... the ultimate cruiser shoe, you can run for hours in them without feeling tired or putting an massive overload of stress on your knees. Your ankles might get a bit too much stress depending where you run with them. Also the durability is really really great. A very big Plus for Adidas that even there super shoes like the Pro3 or Prime X have a great durability.

Thanks Matt

Speechless

Please review the Puma fastroid I could see crazy thing on your shelf!!!😂 Me and friends who watch your channel would greatly enjoy it.

I love the question posed about three or more foam densities and their interactions, like you said it largely depends on the individuals mechanics and the build of the shoe. Personally I'd think it would largely be a similar stimulus on the body to single or dual density midsole shoes, the way some asics shoes have been built leads me to think this would be the case. They've been throwing gel in shoes for years now, and options like last years kayano or GT-2000 technically have three different midole densities; FFblast/FFblast+ on top, denser litetruss at the heel-midfoot, and a slab of gel wedged between the two layers at the heel. While the denser medial litetruss system isn't something that works for everyone the interactions at play both within the shoe and within the body are just like any other single/dual density shoe, so I would think you could successfully do the same with more neutral runners in mind. Exciting stuff for sure, I wonder if adidas will implement similar approaches in other shoes and am even more curious to see if other brands start to take notice. I should also point at these are my thoughts as non-expert in any field, I do work in run specialty and have been running myself for a decade but don't have any biomechanical education outside of being a big nerd for running shoes.

You had me till you got to the lateral bias. Why does Adidas do this with their "neutral shoes? The very first one, not strung, had that make you go fast thing whether you wanted to or not. Still works for some quick pick up and recoveries. Was excited with this shoe till the lateral bias. Maybe DOR has shoe insert videos on how to counter that bias thing. I'd it a German yhing? All Grrmans overpronate?

It was already good for me but got "broken in" and got a tad better at 40 miles for me, not sure why but I had a similar experience as you.

Great review!!!! Brazil look at you!!!!! the midsole of the evo 1 can be the same as the midsole of the strung v2?

I have high arch but under pronate. Do I need lateral support ? I'm not sure. My tempus are amazing.

Matt, For long runs for someone with medial stability preferences would you pick the Prime X 2 Strung over the Superblast? What would you pick for yourself?

excellent review, i have a new pair of X2s and can't decide whether to return them before I run in them... I land midfoot to rear slightly lateral dominat and can feel it dips laterally, compared to my boston 12 and adios pro 3 which are both neutral, although thats how they feel. when I try at home it feels forces to land lateral heal more and then rolls through neutral to a toe of dominant more on the medial (big toe) so am I correct it is designed to land lateral and roll neutrally over onto the medial toe off, is that actually feasible for a designer to think that is right in a neutral shoe? compare to my new Hoka skyward X which is very neutral, plush etc. ??? I want to love them as got a great colourway and at a great price.

These are pretty easy on the eyes. Sitting here with an injury because of the OG version. lol

Just got the strung 2,after two pairs of the first version. 2 are not the same at all, they're a much snugger fit, after a 21k I had a blister, if I could get another pair of version one I would

Do they not consider the original Prime X the precursor to the Strung models? No one even mentions them anymore! I’m on my second pair and I still love them. But I got them at a decent price and I can’t find any even remotely reasonable pricing on either the Strung 1 or 2.

I noticed that you may have a pair of puma fastroid on your top shelf. My fastroid feels even taller than prime x2, though the de-coupled heel makes the transition a bit awkward for me. Can you comment on it? It would be a fun comparison.

Whats the shoe over Matt's right shoulder that's bright orange?

I just scored a pair at $168 cad, at this price I don't think anything on the market can comes close to it.

The next trend is going to be high heels I guess. You can run to the ball and have a great time

Did I understand well that for those who supinate this shoe is not ideal?

Why would ANYONE need that much stack...absolutely ridiculous. Any means to justify the ridiculous price