Being a bikesdirect.com bike owner I reccomend the bike from PERSONAL riding experience. It was a great entry level bike and the only reason I rebuilt and upgraded it is because my riding went far beyond entry level. The value for your dollar there is unsurpassed, and you can still build a relationship with the LBS by bringing it to them to assemble.
THAT SAID...... You may find a better deal on an end of season low end Trek or Specialized that if you factor in the cost of putting together the BD bike it may come out the same. Both name brands are quality, as are many of the others mentioned by cyccommute.
If you want to not only get a bike but get into working on your bike yourself, buy yourself a good bike mechanics book, and a Bikesdirect bike. You need no special tools other than allen wrenches to put it together, and you'll learn a lot about how a bike works.