Lime to London's Would-Be Knights: Our Bikes Are Not for Jousting
Lime has clarified its terms of service in the plainest possible language: its bikes are designed for getting around the city, not for jousting. That statement followed footage circulating over the weekend of two riders dressed as knights charging at each other in an east London park. Hundreds of people gathered in London Fields, Hackney, to watch artist Jack Carden and actor Camtholomew the First joust on bright green rental e-bikes, kitted out in armour and chainmail with lances, attempting to knock each other off.
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It's a genuinely funny bit, but it lands in a city where hospitals have reported an increase in injuries to e-bike riders and pedestrians. That trend isn't the fault of two people in costume — it just makes the stunt read as slightly less harmless than the chainmail suggests.
Carden billed it in advance as a free public joust and performance art, and the Instagram video has been watched more than four million times. The lances are props; the point was the absurdity. Calling it a safety hazard is a bit like reviewing a pantomime for historical accuracy.
The company statement manages something impressive: it says it loves seeing Londoners come together and build community in unexpected ways, then asks that nobody attempt similar events. That is a press office applauding the community and banning its activities in the same breath.