I thought that you meant components = bike-frame, and we were debating frames here. Nevermind.

Yes, great components don't always come together to form a great bike. I would really have to think about which I would rather have: a zurich or some motobecane. I couldn't say I would much rather get the Zurich because it's tried-and-tested and the bikesdirect bike isn't, since I have seen favorable reviews of BD's bikes. The fact that you can't test ride it is offset, at least somewhat, with a 30-day return policy (cost of buyer). The $300+ would be (and was) the deal-breaker for me. If convenience is worth more to you than that, don't go for bikesdirect.