Inside our custom build hot wax corner at Lidl-Trek Service Course

Two years ago, Lidl-Trek became the first WorldTour team to switch completely from oil to hot wax. At the time, that was a pretty big decision. Most teams were still using traditional lubricants and many people in professional cycling were still looking at hot wax as something experimental.

Fast forward to today and hot wax has become a normal part of how the team operates. Not just because it's cleaner. Not just because the chains are faster. But because it works. And when you're racing at the highest level in the world, that's all that really matters.

Walk into Lidl-Trek's Service Course and eventually you'll find a section that immediately catches your eye. 

The Cyclowax Hot Wax Corner.

A dedicated workspace that Cyclowax designed and built specifically for the team. And honestly, it's one of the coolest things we've ever worked on. What started with a few pre-waxed chains has grown into a fully integrated system for tracking, measuring, waxing, breaking in and managing hundreds of chains throughout the season. Because here's the thing:

WorldTour teams go through a lot of chains. Every race bike. Every spare bike. Every training bike. All of those chains need to be maintained, monitored and prepared. The result is a process that looks more like a Formula 1 pit lane than traditional bike maintenance.

The first stop is the chain drop-off box. When a chain returns from racing, it doesn't immediately go back onto a bike. First, it gets inspected. The mechanics measure the chain length and check for wear using Cyclowax's Chain Scale.

Within seconds they know:

• How long the chain is
• Whether it's still within tolerance
• Whether it's ready for another race

Every chain is then tagged and organised according to its exact length. Because at WorldTour level, details matter. A lot.

Once the chain has been checked and approved, it's ready for waxing. The chains are placed into the hot wax system where they are cleaned and rewaxed before being prepared for another race. This is where most cyclists think the process ends. For Lidl-Trek, it's only halfway. Because the team isn't interested in simply waxing chains. They're interested in making sure every chain performs exactly as expected when it's installed on a race bike.

One of the most unique parts of the Hot Wax Corner is something called the Chain Breaker. After waxing, the chains are installed onto a dedicated device that slowly rotates them for several minutes. This process breaks in the wax before the chain ever reaches a rider's bike.

The result is a drivetrain that's ready to perform from the first pedal stroke. It's another one of those small details that might seem insignificant. Until you realise that professional cycling is basically a collection of thousands of small details.

Once the chain has been measured, waxed and broken in, it's packaged and stored. Each chain is labelled according to its exact length and prepared for the mechanics. The next time a Lidl-Trek rider rolls onto the start line, that chain is ready to go. Simple. Efficient. Repeatable. Exactly how a WorldTour team likes it.

The thing we're most proud of isn't the wax itself. It's the fact that we've helped create a completely new way of thinking about chains. When we first started working with Lidl-Trek, we simply supplied a few hot waxed chains.

Today, there's an entire chain management system built around the concept. That's a pretty incredible evolution in just two years. And honestly, it feels like we're only getting started. Because while most cyclists think hot wax is about having a cleaner chain, professional teams have shown us something different.

For them, it's about managing performance. The Hot Wax Corner is proof of that. And as far as we know, it's the first one of its kind in the world. Welcome to the home of the cleanest drivetrain in the peloton.

The cool thing is, that you can ride the exact same setup as the Lidl-Trek Pros: