Two men in chainmail charged at each other on Lime hire bikes in London Fields, Hackney, on Saturday 31 October, in the second round of a joust that has turned into one of east London’s most talked-about free events.
Lime Bike Jousting 2: No Horses, No Mercy was a rematch between the artist Jack Carden and the actor Camtholomew the First, whose real name is Cameron Carnegie-Brown, the Evening Standard reported. More than 5,000 people RSVPed within a day of the invitation going out, according to LBC, and the organisers revealed the location only about an hour and a half before the start, once they had police approval for the gathering. LBC put the crowd in the thousands.
The pair rode at each other with foam-tipped lances over five rounds, LBC said, before Carnegie-Brown was declared the winner. The Standard reported that the duel raised more than £1,000, to be split between causes including a mental health charity, a women’s charity and children’s charities.
“This is a very special moment,” Carden told the crowd through a megaphone, according to the Standard.
How it started
The first joust, also in London Fields earlier in October, was meant as a piece of performance art and drew hundreds of people after videos spread on social media, the BBC reported. Lime responded with a statement. “While we appreciate the medieval spirit, safety must always come first,” a spokesperson said. “Lime bikes are designed for getting around the city, not for jousting.” The company said it discouraged anyone from “attempting similar events”.
The rematch went ahead anyway. A prop designer named Isa made the lances, and Felix Primo Ziegler and Sam Shapin painted the bikes in the style of the cloths worn by medieval horses, LBC reported. The organisers told LBC they had turned down brand deals to keep the event independent.
“It’s such a push back of infinite scrolling,” Carden told LBC.
Is it real jousting?
Andy Deane, captain of the Royal Armouries jousting team in Leeds, told the BBC it was “absolutely a legitimate form of jousting”, and said it was a “joy” to see the bike version “capturing the spectacle” of the sport. He told the Standard it suited people who could not afford a horse.
The essentials
- What: Lime Bike Jousting 2: No Horses, No Mercy, a free public joust on Lime e-bikes
- Where: London Fields, Hackney, London E8
- When: Saturday 31 October 2026
- Who: artist Jack Carden and actor Camtholomew the First (Cameron Carnegie-Brown)
- Raised: more than £1,000 for charities, according to the Evening Standard