A couple of years ago I scored a Gravity Zilla frame and fork set for $135 delivered.
The frame is very light but the steel fork is heavy-ish and overly stiff. It's definitely a firm ride but it smooths out when it's loaded up for touring. The upside to it's stiffness is that it's very responsive, fast.
No complaints about the quality of the Zilla, it's excellent.

I'm running BB5 road calipers with Shimano XT mtb brake levers on an upside down Wald #8095 handlebar, similar to a Nitto North Road but costing $13.65. I tried every combination of integrated road shifters, Travel Agents, BB5 mtb calipers and the current setup works the best. The pads do not have to be set up super close to the rotors so there is no noise when not braking, the silence is nice. The BB5 road calipers are far stronger with mtb levers than with road levers, with or without a Travel Agent.

The next upgrade is Deore M596 hydraulic discs, they are unbelievable, makes any cable disc feel stone age.