In my short experience, I'd agree that there is some truth to the mtn bikers being more laid back thing. in racing especially, there are some really... intense female roadies, even in women's B (collegiate class... A has longer and faster races). in mtn biking, people were pretty supportive of each other, even if they were on competing teams.

i remember at my second mtn race, my back wheel fell off my stiff hybrid bike (the bike was my first problem) and i lost my skewer. i was hauling my frame and wheel over the trail, since i was about 1/2 thru when it happened and couldn't turn back, and this guy from Southern Illinois U was pre-riding and stopped and gave me his skewer. he had a race in 20 min, and I had 4 miles left, so there was no guarantee that he'd even get the skewer back in time to race, by the time his teammates found him after i finished. i was so surprised at how nice he had been! i doubt anything like that would happen in road racing... maybe i'm wrong, though.

and it's also true about the sport attracting science-people.... i'd say about 3/4 of our team is either pre-med or in engineering! i always feel like the dummy... art, literature, and foreign language

but i wonder if the "lack of social skills" thing is due to the science-part or just the type of person the sport attracts in general... ie: i'm not exactly a social butterfly, and many people mistake my being awkward/quirky for my being a b*tch (although i don't mean to come off that way). i think it goes back to the nature of the sport... certain people are attracted to the, well, pain of endurance cycling or racing. i think it could tie-in to the depression and cycling link... cycling as a kind of therapy for "social outcasts" too? i'm sorry if that came out wrong... like i said, awkward and quirky, not trying to be a b*tch!