I found it funny that when riding my mnt bike on the road (my pre-roadie days) while I waved at every cyclist I passed, I would get roughly 10% feedback from roadies. The next day I rode a road bike and got about 70% lol.

Things are far different now, lots of us 'roadies' wave and say hello to folks, and act as the ambasadors that all of us should.

I had a cheap road bike, old arse helmet and a camel back (old school one, that ONLY mnt bikers wore). Was met with lukewarm enthusiasm. Couple months later on the first ride with my new bike the front tire exploded (I'm thinking twisted tube from the shop) while I was in the middle of the pack that was 3-wide. I yelled flat and rode it out straight, didnt take myself or anyone else out, the group waited (rarirty) and I have been 'in' ever since.

Point of my story is on the road your life (literaly) is in the hands of the guys around you, especially when pacelining at 30+. Sometimes takes a bit to prove yourself trustworthy. This just isnt a concern when mnt. biking. One of the most easily recognizable ways to tell if a guy isnt going to kill you is if he's dressed and riding a nice bike. Hey, the bike looks nice so he obviously hasnt crashed it, if he can keep up then he must know somewhat what he's doing. Not a perfect system, but perhaps it adds some insight into what those snobish roadies are thinking.