These sites include the fashion site Gilt.com (which expanded to home goods, travel and more); OneKingsLane.com for home goods and décor; and pop culture and décor flash sale site Fab.com. When you visit the site and click on a sale you see the timer counting down to the sale’s close. One site I wasn’t aware of until recently is adventure and gear site The Clymb (theclymb.com). The site focuses on sales of outdoor clothing, footwear and gear. On any given day you might see sales for outdoor apparel, running or hiking shoes, stainless steel of BPA-free water bottles, surfboards or fly fishing gear. Since checking out the site, I’ve seen brands such as Keen footwear, Patagonia, SPY Optic, Stanley water bottles, Pearl Izumi apparel. And that’s just a sampling of the sales, with anywhere from three to 12 going on in a given day.

Full disclosure, I was given a $50 credit to conduct this review. I was hard-pressed to decide on an item. I waited a few days to figure out what I wanted. In that time I missed out on a great pair of winter boots, the sale ended; some luggage I could really use, the item sold out quickly; and a baselayer top, I decided to see what else was coming on The Clymb.

I finally decided on a pair of Spy Optic sunglasses. I wear a pair of interchangeable lens sunglasses for regular wear. Though I decided it was time for a respectable pair of sunglasses. Of course I still wanted a pair that was sporty, and had the sun-protecting standards of a sport pair of sunglasses. So I placed the order.

Let me revisit the whole flash sale concept again for a moment. These sites hawk luxury items, high-end lines of goods. The product assortments are typically closeouts, and might contain 10 or 20 items from the manufacturer. I’ve found a few common actions in my experience. The sale lists the manufacturer’s suggested retail price and the sale price, which is often at 50 percent or so. When considering a purchase I always do a search on Amazon.com or Google. The prices on flash sale sites is generally a great deal, however I have found matching (or better) prices on Amazon.com for enough items to be prudent. The next thing to consider is that these sites charge roughly $8 on shipping. My purchase of a pair of sunglasses for $59.98 (including my $50 credit), added a shipping and handling fee of $7.98. This should factor into your cursory price comparison. The next element is that shipping can take a while. I placed my order on September 8; it shipped on September 23, and showed up at my door on September 30. For many of these purchases time is not an issue. But if you’re buying luggage or clothing for a trip, or an item for a gift, give yourself a month to get it. This is not unique to The Clymb, I’ve experienced this on the other sites I mentioned above.

In the case of The Clymb, I am happy with my purchase. The glasses came in their box, which the shipper surrounded in bubble wrap and placed in a mailer bag. While I was expecting a box, the soft envelope and padding were sufficient. I’d say the experience exceeded my expectations. And I do check the site every day for new sales. Today I logged in a little too late to by a pair of Salomon boots I’m coveting. They sold out of my size within a few hours of the sale going live. I still did a quick Google search and found the boots for twice the cost listed on Zappos.com. I really wish I could rewind a few hours and buy those boots before they went!

Oh and one more thing about flash sale sites, they reward referrals. You can only access the sales if you sign up, so they need to spread their word virally. If you refer a friend, you get $10 when that friend makes a purchase.

Update: The Clymb extended its $10 bounty to KineticShift readers. Follow this link to get $10 off your first order at The Clymb.

The Clymb Official Website

The new MV2, which will hit the ground running later this month, is super lightweight, zero-drop shoe that encourages a natural-running posture, provides protection and energy return. They are being advertised as “a unique solution for runners who want to run faster, perform better and avoid injury by adopting a natural running stride, but not sacrifice protection.” Typical ‘barefoot’ running shoes do offer some protection from road debris, but the MV2 is a little thicker giving even better protection while still not raising the heel.

Along with just protection, the MV2 employs Newton’s second-generation Action/Reaction mid-sole technology in this new shoe. The five low-profile articulating lugs are aligned with the foot’s five metatarsal heads not only offer protect, but the lugs depress into a chamber and rebound quickly with the aid of a highly resilient membrane.

“While all Newton Running shoes feature a low heel-to-toe ramp angle to support natural-running posture, the next logical addition to our line was a shoe that was completely parallel to the ground,” says Newton Running co-founder Danny Abshire. “The MV2 facilitates landing on your midfoot instead of the heel, which supports proper biomechanical alignment, faster turnover rate and greater running efficiency. This means you run faster with less effort.”

Mated to this unique sole in the Newton MV2 is a highly breathable mesh upper that is reinforced with a durable micro screen which helps keep out dirt and debris.

Not only does this shoe offer a more ‘natural’ running position, but you can also feel a little greener inside know that the new MV2 contains 100-percent recycled laces, webbing and insole topcover; plus each pair of MV2 shoes are shipped in a 100-percent recycled box.

The MV 2 is available in men’s sizes 6 to 14 and women’s sizes 4.5 to 12 and will retail for $125. Included with every pair of the MV 2 are instructions for adjusting to a zero-drop shoe. You still may not be able to defy gravity, but the MV2 might just get you one step closer.

Newton Official Website

It is hard to think about winter given that the recent heat waves, but next week is the beginning of August and that means that fall is just around the corner. While there is plenty of outdoor running left, it is never too early to think about how to keep up the miles once it gets cold outside and the snow starts to pile up. While this reporter will stick to the treadmill, our friends over at the Competitive Runner have another tip for those who need to put in some real miles in the great out doors.

The site offers tips on transforming an old pair of running shoes into some winter trainers. The solution they’ve come up with involves adding some sheet metal screws to the soles, which should certainly provide some extra traction and stability when you hit icy conditions. It is a good tip, and a great reason to save shoes that still have a few miles left in. Maybe it will get those of us who prefer to stay indoors in the winter to actually head outside for a run.

[Via Competitive Runner: Make Your Own Screw Shoes]

K-Swiss K-Ona S Shows Your National Pride

For specialized competition there are specialized shoes, and K-Swiss has a line of running shoes meant for race day for your next triathlon. Check out the K-Ona S line. These ultra-light shoes are just 9oz, and feature a durable Aosta II rubber outsole, and anatomically correct flex-grooves, along with the Superoam technology, Si-18 crash pad and k-EVA midsole. This will help you do the miles as you hit the pavement, as a TPU midfoot shank lets you go the distance.

The mesh/synthetic shoes further feature the K-Swiss Flow Cool System for moisture management, so you’re feet will stay dry on the long road to the finish. And you’ll not only feel good but looking good too, as this line offers multiple national flag inspired design. While there are options for Germany, Japan, Brazil and Australia, we’re especially taken with the American flag design!

K-Swiss: K-Ona S 

What goes up, must come down. And when it is your foot hitting the ground while running, it can come down extremely hard, especially on your heels. The makers of the Newton Running Gravity know they can’t change the physics of actual gravity, but they did change the way its neutral trainer running shoes hit the ground. These shoes feature carbon rubber heels with impact absorption to reduce the shock with each stride, as well as a biomechanical forefoot plate and flex grooves to provide smooth cushioning while you run. All this even helps improve your form by encouraging you to land on the ball of your foot, for a more efficient and healthy way to pound the pavement. And at just 9.4 ounces these add practically no weight, almost like they’ll defy Newton’s law of gravity.

Note: We also thought this would be a good day to post this, as January 4 was Sir Issac Newton’s birthday!