So a wife that insists she can't be seen cycling with you without you wearing your special outfit. Not what you want to wear, but what she wants you to wear.

I'm thinking there's a bigger problem here than choice of attire. She is communicating in no uncertain terms that your choice of attire will reflect badly on her, if only by association.

So if you're wearing whatever you like, you are somehow dissing her, and she can't stand the implications inherent behind that idea.

Her easy answer is to get you to comply, because that solves all problems except one - your motivation to go riding with her under this stipulation. That might wane if this keeps up.

How short of a leash are you on otherwise? It sounds pretty short just from this one situation.