I admire packies honesty, perhaps not what you,me or anyone wants to read but still very honest & the other half of the tale none the less.
...and that's all I was offering, just a bit of honesty and just to make people aware including Simon that there is more to this than the importance of him just trying to ride a bike.
This might again sound harsh, but I just don't "buy it" that the guy is blaming his experiences on being a newbie. Weather I am driving 5 minutes as a newbie or 50 years as an experienced driver, it is my responsibility not just morally but by law to be competent, confident, and in control of my machine at all times on the road. This is not just about my own safety. This is also about expressing my safety towards you and every other road users and pedestrians. If my bike went out of control and mowed down a toddler on that corner, I don't think a "newbie excuse" will have much comfort to his parents or my conscience....nor will it hold up in court of law. This is the reality.
So it is my responsibility at the very first sign of problems "within me" to haul my arse off the road weather I am a newbie or an experienced driver. If I feel that i'm going to be a danger to myself or others, I need to get off the road and do what I need to do to sort out those problems. Personally, I think Simon had 2 spills too many. This wasn't 2 spills brought on by other factors out of his control, this was 2 spills brought on by not being in control of his vehicle on both occasions by not being properly ready for being on the road. Pride, stubborness and persistence may be seen as good traits by some...but actually could be quite a dangerous liability IMO.
Anyway, I certainly wasn't telling Simon or anyone here what to do about his situation or to walk away from biking. I made that quite clear in my post. I was just sharing my experiences and opinions. If people don't like them, then they have the free will to ignore them.
But I have to thank Simon too for his honesty in posting here because it wasn't easy. A lot of good things have come from this thread. There has been some serious helpful and informative stuff on this thread like the two videos that were posted which will help many including myself. I like to think that I have contributed with some informative and honest stuff to this thread too. So this thread has been very worth while overall.