Adidas Adizero Prime X2 Strung Review: Huge Cushioning, Heavy Consequences

Introduction

The Adidas Adizero Prime X2 Strung was one of the most anticipated releases to come out of the last running event season, and for good reason. The original Prime X Strung was a favorite: a very high, very bouncy 50mm stack shoe that let you float through runs without any ground feel at all. This second version arrives with a refined Strung upper, a new knitted tongue, and a midsole built from three layers of Lightstrike Pro with two carbon-infused plates.

On paper, that should create a spring-like trampoline effect. In practice, it creates something more complicated. This is a shoe with genuinely impressive cushioning and an upper that locks you in beautifully, but it also carries a weight problem that changes what the shoe is actually good for. Here is how it all comes together.

Who This Shoe Is For

The Prime X2 Strung suits runners who want maximum cushioning and bounce for easy days, recovery runs, and moderate-paced cruising. If your priority is a ride where your legs feel fresh afterward, the huge stack of Lightstrike Pro delivers. It is a poor match for runners expecting a fast race-day weapon, because the weight works against quick turnover.

Sizing runs roomy. A tester who normally wears a women’s 7.5 took an 8 and found it slightly loose, and there is extra volume in the toe box. If you prefer a secure lockdown over a giant midsole, going true to size or even a half size down is worth considering. A regular size 10.5 male tester found the length perfect, with only minor extra toe box volume.

Upper: The Clear Improvement

The Strung upper carries over and gets better. Adidas has reconfigured the fiber pattern and added a knitted tongue that stretches from side to side, replacing the previous sewn-in, flat, somewhat flappy tongue. The new tongue is more comfortable and fits better, even though padding through the collar and tongue area is minimal. It never felt like it was lacking cushioning.

Two small eyelets at the top reinforce lockdown around the ankle. That matters a lot in a shoe this tall: with the original Prime X Strung, some runners simply could not keep their foot locked in over the enormous midsole and had to fight the shoe for the entire run. The Strung construction is what makes a 50mm stack wearable in the first place, and this version refines it further. Breathability is good, and the upper remains one of the lightest parts of the shoe.

Midsole and Ride

Here is where most of the changes happen, and not all of them are for the better. The midsole stacks three layers of Lightstrike Pro separated by two carbon-infused plates. The double-plate setup is the reason shoes like this are illegal for professional racing: under pressure, the plates flex and spring back with the foam pad between them, creating a trampoline effect off the toe. Jogging in the shoe, you do feel that bounce, and the cushioning underfoot is genuinely pleasant.

The problem is weight. The Prime X2 Strung weighs 9.7 to nearly 9.8 ounces, and the men’s size 10.5 tested here came in at 11.7 ounces, or 333 grams. That is heavy for any shoe you expect to race in, and the weight is bottom-heavy: all of it sits in the Lightstrike Pro and the two plates, under your foot, while the Strung upper stays light and breathable. During a speed session of minute-on, minute-off intervals, the heaviness of the midsole made fast paces feel like digging through sand.

The double plate with its toe spring does mitigate some of the weight, but not enough. Instead of feeling fun and bouncy, the shoe felt like something to work against. The bounce and the absolute zero ground feel are still there, but the rhythm that made the original Prime X enjoyable never quite appeared.

Everyday Running Performance

Reframe the shoe as a max-cushion easy day runner and the story changes. Testers who stopped trying to use it for speed and ran easy or up-tempo moderate paces came away enjoying it. The sheer amount of cushioning and bounce meant legs felt genuinely good, even fresh, after runs.

That is a real strength. But at $300, it has to be a compelling strength to justify the price, and a comfortable cruiser does not quite get there for most buyers. The original Prime X Strung, which is likely to be discounted now, accomplishes a very similar ride with noticeably more bounce off the toe and a more aggressive toe spring. For many runners, the first-generation shoe remains the smarter purchase.

Buying Advice

The fix seems obvious: drop a few millimeters of stack, use a fully carbon spoon-shaped plate instead of two carbon-infused plates to save weight, and shrink the foam puck between the layers. New Balance took that approach with a similar trainer and kept the fun without the bulk. If the Prime X2 Strung weighed what the original did, this would be one of the most impressive shoes in recent memory.

As it stands, buy it only if maximum cushioning for easy miles is your explicit goal and the price is not a barrier. If you want the fun, bouncy high-stack experience, look for the original Prime X Strung while it is still available.

Conclusion

The Adidas Adizero Prime X2 Strung is a step sideways rather than forward. The upper is an honest improvement, the cushioning is luxurious, and the legs-fresh-afterward effect is real. But at nearly 10 ounces, bottom-heavy in its weight distribution, it falls short of its own illegally fast promise and falls short of the shoe it replaces. For racing, look elsewhere. For easy cruising, it works, just at a premium price.