After sleeping on it a few days, and thinking... I decided that off the rack was the best choice for my personality. I can imagine and research until the cows come home, but in reality I need to see and touch to be able to know. I can best do that either by previous experience or face-to-face with the bike. I don't have enough previous experience to do custom.

The best of both worlds for me, is buying off the rack and customizing the bits that I know I want to, like saddle and handlebars!