Seems like this is a reoccuring thread here, build vs buy. If you have the capabilities and the skills to build one up yourself, then by all means do so. If you are just getting into bikes in general, i would say buy. The labor cost on assembling a bike at the LBS can get prohibitively expensive, but then again so is the initial investment in a good set of tools. Myself, my next bike is gonna be the new Bianchi P.U.S.S.

http://www.bianchiusa.com/594.html