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Chris Klass – Beach Plastic Cape Town

I came across some photos of Chris’s fat bike all loaded up with litter from the beaches of Cape Town. Chris uses his fat bike to remove beach plastic along the West coast beaches of Cape Town, South Africa. I contacted Chris and asked if he would answer a few questions about his endeavors and the resulting story is below.

Tell our readers about a typical plastic hunt for you.

My local beach is 2km away with beautiful rides 30km to the North passing Robben Island or 12km South towards Cape Town. During the winter months there tends to be more plastic waste being pushed out by sea storms however more beach goers are also making an effort to keep our beaches clean.

Tell us about your fat bike and any special mods that you added to carry the plastics off of the beach

The fatty is a standard 2016 Silverback Double Scoop with two fork mounted bins manufactured from a repurposed metal glass rack holder and standard plastic mesh fencing attached to the forks with cable ties. Parts wear out quickly replacing the chain and cassette annually, while the bottom bracket & chain ring every two years. Freewheels, shifters & wheel bearings also wear prematurely. The front disk brake has been removed as sand from the beach plastic dropped directly into the brake caliper.

How many kilos of plastic can you carry and how much plastic have you hauled off of the beach so far? Do you have any goals for tonnage?

The estimated carrying capacity of both bins is around 40kg as the excessive weight causes the bins to sag & touch the rotating spokes. If there is an excessive volume of plastic washed onto the beaches the load is dropped off & I return to collect the rest when time permits.

What’s the craziest thing that you’ve ever found washed up on the beach on your rides?

The most unusual item found was a 3000cm x 500cm piece of buoyancy foam and recently an enormous rope with an estimated weight of over 100kg.

How can our readers follow your escapades in South Africa?

You can follow my endeavors on instagram @beachplasticcapetown

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3 Responses to Chris Klass – Beach Plastic Cape Town

  1. Erv Spanks March 10, 2022 at 10:49 am #

    Leave it cleaner than you found it! I like the cut of your jib sir, Cheers!

  2. Allroy March 12, 2022 at 6:29 pm #

    Definitely an inspiration. We should all take a page out of Chris’s book this Earth Day April 22nd and clean up our trails while riding our Fatties. Well done Chris.

  3. Charissa Bloomberg March 13, 2022 at 6:50 am #

    Such good work Chris… Your dedication and enthusiasm is commendable! Would definitely nominate you as an integrity ambassador.
    Doing the right thing for our planet!

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