Presuming you like the
fit of your current, 50cm Trek 1200 ...
And, based on an old Trek catalog + the information that I can glean from EXCEL SPORTS (
LOOK 585 Frameset 2010 - Excel Sports} + the choice of a set of WH-7850 wheels vs. the Bontrager Race X Lite wheels, then
'I' would definitely choose the LOOK 585 with the WH-7850 wheels.
The "Small" LOOK has a 53cm top tube ... the 50cm Trek 1200 has a 53.1cm top tube (according to an
OLD catalog -- specs can vary from year to year, of course).
The difference in standover would/should NOT be a deal breaker, IMO -- you can lean the bike over if you want/need to.
FWIW. IMO, Trek seems to have done as much as possible to diminish the BONTRAGER label over the past several years OR perhaps I accorded components with the Bontrager label too much respect in the past ...
Regardless, in 2008, the Race X Lite wheels were apparently redesigned WHICH SUGGESTS that there was a deficiency with the pre-2008 (as in, the wheels which you would be receiving) design ...
Nonetheless, a problem apparently remains with the Race X Lite wheels (
Bontrager Race X-Lite Reviews) -- when they are rolling,
they are very good (the hubs used to be made by Hugi/DT, so I presume they still are ...
I love Hugi/DT hubs & especially its Star Ratchet mechanism which I presume the Race X Lites use vs. the tranditional pawl mechanism found in the DT Onyx hubs),
but the hubs still appear to be prone to occasional failures which is either due to an ongoing design flaw or a quality control issue (DT did have a problem with their 240 hubs several years ago ... one would have thought that the problem had been resolved).
I have a very high regard for Shimano hubs -- they are not a perfect design, but they are very reliable ... heck, I
love them, too! While I will probably never go with tubeless tires, the WH-7850 wheelset would give YOU
that option should it ever be a future consideration.
In other words,
for me, those Bontrager wheels would be THE deal breaker which would make me choose the LOOK 585 rather than the TREK MADONE.
BTW. There are a lot of OTHER bikes out there which probably fall within your budget. How did you choose those two bikes?
