I love him dearly, but if there's a bike involved...gah!

I will admit that he's gotten a lot better as a riding partner (he's stopped trying to coach me, but gives advise if asked and encouragement as necessary). I've been toying with the idea of buying a second road bike--a "Go. Fast." bike. This is at least 6 months, if not a year, away. There's a Cannondale I've been drooling over. Here's the thing: It's comparable to his Cannondale. I talked to him about it, and tried to steer me toward one of the cheaper versions. My preference for that particular bike is not set in stone. I may try it out at the LBS and hate it. Or I may fall in love with something else. Or finances may change. Who knows? I asked him why he'd recommend the cheaper bike (other than cost), and he really couldn't give me an answer.

I've also told him I've thought about going straight from platform pedals to clipless. I don't want to deal with two learning curves, and I think I'd get my foot caught in the straps of toe cages. He thinks I really should use the toe cages first.

It seems like anything related to upgrading--whether it's my riding, the pedals or the bike--should be done the way he did it, and later. He's only pushy about his way of doing things when it comes to bikes. He nudged me toward the Avail (it's the girly version of his first road bike). That's fine, because I knew diddly about bikes at the time, and the bike suits me pretty well. The pedals, I can understand. Safety and all that. I can't figure out why he feels the way he does about the Cannondale, though. Is he feeling threatened in some way by the fact that I'm looking at something on par with his bike? Is he thinking "she's getting herself into some kind of shape. She must be planning on leaving"? Or something I'm not thinking of?

I'd be grateful if anyone could offer some insight.