'Lime bike jousting' draws in hundreds of spectators at London park despite e-bike company's warning

For some, Lime bikes are a convenient, eco-friendly way to get around cities. For others, they are a hindrance that block pavements and are ridden dangerously by their users – putting pedestrians at risk. 

But one artist is transforming the neon green e-bikes into mounts to be used for a 'joust'.

Artist Jack Carden and Cameron Carnegie-Brown, an actor known as Camtholomew the First, donned shining armour and rode the rental bicycles at each other with lances in a London park on Saturday. 

Each attempted to knock their opponent from his seat in front of a crowd of hundreds.  

The event took place despite Lime previously warning that their bikes are 'designed for getting around the city, not for jousting'. 

Mr Carden said: 'We created this event to spark some joy into the lives of Londoners.

'I feel like I've established my presence here in London. I hope people will know what to expect from future public performance artworks, though we are not currently planning a third joust.' 

The two jousters staged their first duel last month in London Fields, east London – to great fanfare online.  

Actor Jack Carden and Cameron Carnegie-Brown, an actor known as Camtholomew the First, donned shining armour and rode the rental bicycles at each other with lances in a London park on Saturday

The performance art creates a modern version of jousting with Lime rental e-bikes instead of horses

'Ring maidens' in medieval dress set out the various rounds

A second event on Saturday was organised – defying Lime's warnings – and was called Lime bike Jousting 2: No Horses, No Mercy.

More than 5,000 people had registered interest for the event and hundreds descended on the east London park to catch a glimpse of the medieval action. 

The exact location was only revealed an hour and a half before the joust began. 

The 'knights' were helped into their armour before mounting their electric steeds that were decorated for the duel. 

'Ring maidens' in medieval dress set out the various rounds before the two men charged towards each other on two wheels. 

After five gruelling rounds of electric jousting, Camtholomew the First was crowned the winner. 

Describing the joust, Mr Carnegie-Brown told the BBC: 'You have this moment where you put the visor down and you're suddenly very alone.

'You're suddenly, it's you, the helmet, and all you can see through this little slit is another guy who's probably feeling the exact same way.

'Your adrenaline just like pumps through your veins. The second you start pedalling, you forget it all - just ram and hope for the best.

'It makes you feel alive, and I think the audience feel that as well.'

Mr Carden told the Mail that the safety of the crowds was their priority. 

He said: 'We informed the council it was going ahead. We had a full safety team with first aiders, safety stewards, and a clean-up crew, and spoke with the police before proceeding to ensure everything was safe. 

'We have been in touch with Lime since the first joust, and they have at no point told us not to go ahead—merely to reinforce safety messages.'

But the local council, Hackney, has claimed that it did not give permission for the event in London Fields. 

More than 5,000 people had registered interest for the event and hundreds descended on the east London park to catch a glimpse of the medieval action

Each attempted to knock their opponent from his saddle in front of a crowd of hundreds

After five gruelling rounds of electric-jousting, Camtholomew the First, real name Cameron Carnegie-Brown, was crowned the winner

The original event received so much attention online that the organisers decided to organise brand deals for their armour. 

A 'full event sponsorship' was advertised on Mr Carden's website for £1million. 

Mr Carden said: 'Regarding sponsorship, we initially believed the media coverage around the joust was so immense that it was worth £1 million, and almost every brand you can think of tried to get involved. 

'However, due to the short timeframe, legal issues prevented most offers from going through. 

'We were actually offered life-changing money to brand the entire event, but we ultimately turned it down because we realized commercialisation could ruin the beauty of the event - definitely some tough decisions to make.'

The event was even given a seal of approval from the world of traditional jousting. 

Andy Deane, captain of the Royal Armouries jousting team in Leeds, said it was a 'joy' to see the bike jousting 'capturing the spectacle' of the medieval sport.

Punters climbed trees to get a glimpse of the medieval action on Saturday 

'This is absolutely a legitimate form of jousting,' he said.

The event raised more than £1,200 for charity. 

They included The Bike Project, which fixes second-hand bikes and gives them to refugees, Honour Thy Woman Group, a domestic abuse charity and the Mental Health Foundation.

Lime, Hackney Council and the Metropolitan Police were contacted for comment.