Are men bike snobs?

[Catrin]

I suspect that most of those riding in the country in my area acknowledge each other because days can pass without seeing another cyclist. We are obviously out there to ride our bikes, first and foremost.

While bike snobbery does indeed exist and it manifests itself in different ways - simply not waving or acknowledging someone else is not automatically snobbery. I think my original reply implied that but it was not my intention.

[KnottedYet]

If I'm calling out "passing on your left" I really like to get some form of acknowlegement so I know the rider is aware there is someone about to pass them.

The OP was about a difference between observed behaviour of men and of women in passing situations.

I have noticed that younger men are not as responsive when I call out before passing as are older men. (I'm not expecting a big warm hug and a juicy kiss... I'm talking about raised fingers, a nod, a "ok" or "thanks", or a return ring on a bike bell to signify the rider is aware I am about to pass)

Not that I would interpret it as snobbery, I think of it more as the younger men are just in their own world more when they ride and don't think about communicating that they know they are being passed. Everyone will use their own vocabulary, I used her description of the situation more than her vocabulary choice when I thought about her post.

Cyclists are in a fairly unique position as vehicles, because we can signal the person ahead that we are going to pass, and the person about to be passed can signal back that they know it. The only parallel I can draw for car traffic is when you activate your turn signal you want to merge into a lane, and the car behind you in the next lane flashes their headlights to let you know they will stay back as you merge.