On Cloudboom Strike LS vs On Cloudboom Strike 2:
Which to Choose

Start with how much these two share, because it's a lot: identical pace, cushioning, responsiveness, and stability ratings, the same full-length carbon Speedboard, the same springy-rather-than-plush PEBA-based Helion foam, and the same tall, narrow neutral geometry that feels tippy at a jog and only truly settles once you're racing. Both want a hard, sustained effort — roughly 3:00 min/km and faster — and both name the marathon as their sweet spot. The drop is effectively the same low offset (4mm on the LS, a claimed 5mm on the Strike 2 that measures closer to 3mm), so neither changes your transition in a way the other doesn't. The real separation is in construction. The LS is defined by its LightSpray upper — a sprayed, seamless, one-piece build with essentially no internal structure, which is how it gets down to around 170g; the lockdown is snug and secure but fixed, with nothing to adjust. The Strike 2 (in its standard form, which is the one here) uses an open-weave Lenoweave mesh upper that is still minimal and breathable but slightly more conventional, and it weighs roughly 200g in a men's US 9. The Strike 2 also brings the genuinely new piece of hardware: CloudTec Sphere forefoot pods and a refreshed, lighter Helion HF foam, an update to the forefoot cushioning geometry that the LS doesn't have. So you're weighing the LS's lower weight and fully sprayed lockdown against the Strike 2's newer forefoot tech and more adjustable, airier upper — ride character between them is otherwise close to interchangeable.