Hot wax, hot coffee and a week of gravel in Finland

Go to almost any cycling event and you'll find the same thing. A row of tents. A few banners. Products on tables. Brands waiting for cyclists to stop by.

There's nothing wrong with that. We just wanted to do things a little differently.

So instead of setting up another traditional booth, we created our own space around the things we like about cycling. Good bikes. Good coffee. Good people. And, obviously, very clean chains.

We brought our Performance Wax Heaters so cyclists could drop by and get their chains hot waxed before heading out onto the gravel. And because waiting for your chain is considerably better with a coffee in your hand, we brought our own barista along too.

The concept wasn't complicated. Hot coffee. Hot wax. Amazing gravel. Throughout the week, riders came by with their bikes. Some knew everything there was to know about hot wax. Others had never tried it before.

Chains went into the heaters. Coffees came out of the machine. And somewhere in between, people stuck around to talk about bikes, racing, equipment and everything else cyclists somehow manage to spend hours discussing.

That's exactly what we wanted the Clean Chain Club House to be. Not just somewhere to display Cyclowax products. A place cyclists actually wanted to spend some time.

Of course, we didn't travel all the way to Finland just to stand next to a coffee machine.

We came to ride too. Between preparing chains and supporting riders, we got out onto the Finnish gravel ourselves. And it didn't disappoint.

Fast gravel roads, forests, good riding and the kind of scenery that regularly gives you an excuse to stop and pretend you're taking a photo rather than catching your breath.

It was also a good reminder of why hot wax and gravel work so well together.

Dust, dirt and long days on the bike aren't particularly friendly to a traditional oily drivetrain. A hot-waxed chain stays considerably cleaner because there's no sticky oil on the outside of the chain attracting contamination. Less black drivetrain. Less mess. More riding.

By the end of the week, the thing we'll remember most isn't how many chains we waxed or how many coffees we served. It's the atmosphere around the place.

Cyclists stopped by before and after riding. People came back. The Nordic Gravel crew hung out. Bikes were everywhere.

It felt less like an event booth and more like a little cycling clubhouse. Which, when we think about it, is exactly what the Clean Chain Club should be. So yes, we'll probably do this again.

The only question is where. Catch you at the next Clean Chain Club House. ✌️

The Performance Wax Heater automates the entire hot-wax process. Add your chain, add a Wax Tablet and press the button.