I'm building a Nakisi right now. Pleased to say that so far, it's not quite as ugly as you'd think. That stem takes some getting used to, but it's a separate purchase so you can just use a normal stem if you want.

Here's one thing to consider- I got the Nakisi because it takes rim brakes. 29er wheels built for rim brakes (pre-built) are few and far between, especially if you want to run big tires. So I ended up going disc. At which point, I'd probably have been better off just getting a Salsa Fargo...