The Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung was a improbable shoe—however one I had main issues with. One subject was the instability, the opposite was that the unfastened match on the heel rubbed my achilles uncooked. The Adidas Prime X 2 Strung has fastened each these issues, however the modifications made include their very own drawbacks in that it’s heavier than its predecessor.
Which means I wouldn’t choose it for races forward of the finest carbon plate trainers, even when I used to be joyful to race in a shoe that breaches the 40mm stack top restrict set by World Athletics. This restrict is especially for elite athletes chasing wins and world information, reasonably than amateurs chasing PRs, although I wouldn’t really feel comfy racing within the Prime X 2 Strung whilst a fast novice.
Adidas Adizero Prime X 2 Strung: Worth And Availability
The Adidas Prime X 2 Strung launched in September 2023 and prices $300 within the US and £250 within the UK. That makes it much more costly than the Adidas Adizero Adios Professional 3, which is the most well-liked “authorized” racing shoe in its line-up, although cheaper than the Adidas Adizero Professional Evo 1, which is $500/£400. I bought my evaluation pattern of the Adidas Prime X 2 Strung from SportsShoes.
How I Examined This Shoe
I’ve run simply greater than 30 miles (round 50km) within the Adidas Prime X 2 Strung, utilizing it for a mixture of straightforward and regular day by day coaching runs, plus a observe session the place I additionally used the unique Prime X Strung as a information. I’ve additionally examined a lot of the finest carbon plate trainers accessible.
Design And Match
The signature function of the Prime X line is the tall midsole, which hits 50mm on the heel and 43.5mm on the forefoot for a 6.5mm drop. That’s a slight improve in stack and drop on the 49.5mm/39.5mm of the unique Prime X Strung.
With all that room accessible within the midsole Adidas has been in a position to cram in two carbon-infused plates, that are sandwiched by three layers of its bouncy Lightstrike Professional foam. There’s quite a bit happening in there, and it’s a unique set-up from the primary Prime X Strung, which used Adidas EnergyRods and TPU plastic EnergyBlades reasonably than two plates.
The shoe has an aggressive forefoot rocker and provides stability in contrast with the unique Prime X by means of a wider design and by having foam working all the way in which down the medial dimension of the shoe—the Prime X had a cut-out right here to cut back weight.
Weight is a speaking level with the Prime X 2 Strung as a result of it weighs 11oz/313g in my UK dimension 9, a leap from the 9.4oz/266g that the unique weighed in the identical dimension. The additional bounce you get from the 2 carbon plates within the new shoe offsets a few of this weight acquire, nevertheless it makes the Prime X greater than 1.7oz/50g heavier than most authorized racing sneakers, and greater than 3.4oz/100g heavier than the Nike Vaporfly 3 in my dimension.
Adidas has made modifications to the shoe’s higher, which now has a stretchy, knitted part as a substitute of a tongue to create a bootie-style design. It nonetheless makes use of the Strung layered yarns for the remainder of the higher, and the padding on the heel feels unchanged, although I discovered the match significantly better general. There was no rubbing on the heel and the midfoot maintain was safer than with the unique Prime X, making the Prime X 2 really feel extra steady when working quick. I wore my typical working shoe dimension for the shoe.
The outsole is constituted of Continental rubber and there’s good protection throughout the shoe, with only a small central part left uncovered. Reduce-outs on the underside of the shoe showcase the plates throughout the midsole, whereas holding the burden down.
Operating Efficiency
There aren’t some other sneakers that really feel just like the Adidas Prime X 2 Strung, which is even springier than the unique shoe. The rise in stability with the brand new shoe is notable immediately, and I loved utilizing it for fairly straightforward day by day coaching runs on suboptimal terrain, similar to cambered paved surfaces and potholed roads. I felt obliged to stay to flat, pristine asphalt as a lot as potential with the unique Prime X Strung, which solely actually felt good for quick runs.
That stated, you get much more from the Prime X 2 Strung when you find yourself working fast, and once I did a collection of development runs transferring from straightforward to regular tempo within the shoe it was noticeable how a lot bouncier and enjoyable it felt on the sooner finish of issues. It’s nonetheless much less steady than extra conventional, decrease sneakers, nevertheless it by no means felt worryingly wobbly on my runs.
You don’t have a lot floor really feel within the shoe, and this implies it may be exhausting to gauge your tempo. I used to be practically at all times transferring sooner than I anticipated, and as with all the perfect carbon plate sneakers, the Prime X 2 Strung made faster paces simpler to keep up. I ran a development 10K ending at 3min 30sec/km tempo—my marathon tempo—with the second half of the run in 18 minutes, and it felt like I’d barely moved previous straightforward tempo.
All through these runs the burden of the Prime X 2 Strung wasn’t an element. It’s a giant shoe, however the bounce compensates for the burden when transferring at speeds starting from straightforward as much as round my marathon race tempo.
After I took it to the observe for a exercise working mile and 400m reps, nonetheless, the added weight was noticeable, particularly once I swapped to the primary Prime X Strung midway by means of the exercise. The older shoe is lighter and sooner, and for those who have been intending to make use of the Prime X Strung for races then the unique is the higher possibility. I’d choose just about any of the perfect carbon racing sneakers of authorized top to the Prime X 2 Strung, both for racing or speedy coaching periods.
Is The Adidas Prime X 2 Strung Value It?
The Adidas Prime X 2 Strung feels phenomenal at instances, and nothing else is as bouncy and enjoyable for cruising by means of runs. Nonetheless, whereas it could do numerous totally different sorts of run effectively, it doesn’t really feel excellent for actually quick stuff and, given the excessive value, that’s an issue.
Whether or not or not you need to abide by the rules I wouldn’t suggest the Adidas Prime X 2 Strung as a high racing possibility. Footwear just like the Nike Alphafly 2, Adidas Adios Professional 3 and Mizuno Wave Riot Professional will not be as outlandishly tall and bouncy, however are nonetheless bouncy and quick, and far lighter. They’re higher racing choices at any distance, as is the primary Prime X Strung for those who can deal with its instability.
The Adidas Prime X 2 Strung feels extra like a super-trainer to me, and it’s a improbable super-trainer that may deliver pleasure to many on a regular basis runs. There may be nonetheless some instability to think about, although I don’t assume it’s an enormous drawback for impartial runners, and you’ll discover how a lot more energizing you are feeling throughout, and after, exhausting runs.
All of that comes at a excessive value, and there are large all-rounders accessible for significantly much less, together with the Saucony Endorphin Pace 3 and Adidas Adizero Boston 12, that are extra grounded and sensible for day by day use.