Don't let people tell you Bikes Direct Bikes are trash. So far this year 3 of my friends have bought bikes from there (wellington 2.0, dawes lightning 1500, and schwinn letour legacy) and they were all great. They didnt know what they were doing so i helped them put it together. Its not hard to put together but you will have to tune it, just like a LBS does when they build em. The bikes are holding up well, all have over 400 miles with no issues. Part of the reason they have their prices is if you look closely there are some parts that are switched out for cheaper parts than it originally comes with. (Like shimano 105 group with a lower level FSA crank) They disclose all of this too in their spec breakdowns. In my opinion the frames could very well be rebadged older frames from a few years ago (the lightning 1500 looks very similar to my Fuji Newest 3.0)

It is always good to support local business, but some people don't feel the extra few hundred is worth it. I bought a Fuji from a LBS, although I feel good that I supported local business, I could have gotten more bike for the money from Bikes Direct.