The Trek Madone 6.9 is unsuited for your purpose--in fact, you could hardly have found a bike less suitable. You need a workhorse and this is a racehorse. It is designed for a 20-year old racer, not a 52-year-old tourer. It's not designed to support your weight, the gearing is wrong for you, and you need at least twice as many spokes.
More money is not always good. In this case, it's bad. You're price range is too high.
Last edited by John Nelson; 12-30-08 at 11:50 AM.