I'm not sure the average motorist even recognizes cycling gear. Sport cycling gets a lot less media time than NASCAR. For all I know, the people thought you were a ballet dancer on the way to a performance, and don't like the local ballet company.

I don't have any insight into this issue of motorist response to clothing. Except when I am at the beach, I never ride without a suit and tie, so I lack a basis for comparison. (well, I don't wear the jacket during the summer.)

I also don't know why wearing "full cycling gear" should make motorists think that one is unpredictable. In a place where traffic congestion makes it dumb to drive, I'd expect that some of the cagers to be at the shallow end of the gene pool. No reason to think they are nuts, however.

Lynchpin's hypothesis seems as likely as any.

I think you should wear whatever best suits your mission and not worry about what motorists think. They don't worry about what they should wear in order to impress cyclists.

Paul