Should I ride my first fixie back from the shop (in London)?

Those threads is one of the reasons why I started this whole thread! If experienced cyclists are being knocked down day by day, surely it's even more likely I may be knocked down!

That's an interesting point really. People on here naturally want to share their experiences and to let off steam about bad driving and such but it can end up making London sound more dangerous than it is and putting people off cycling. Ed's right up to a point; cycling in London is not like going to war but nor is it entirely safe. But then it's not entirely safe anywhere there are cars. Sadly the only way to learn is to do it; which is why couriers have more accidents in their first few months than they do after that.
Telling you to HTFU seems not only unsympathetic (and a bit smug too actually) but reckless. Give it a go but don't feel embarrassed in to continuing by the comments of some of the people on here who seem to have forgotten what it was like when they were new to the experience.