Originally Posted by
HillRider
That measurement is the distance from the center of the quill's tightening bolt to the center of the handlebar clamp. It tells you how far out the handlebars will be, not how high. The length of the quill itself is typically not given. There are quill stems with longer quills and here is one source:
http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/st1.htm
Agreed that that is a beautiful stem, but its is rather spendy at $70+.
There are many less expensive tall stems for quill bikes, admittedly most arean't nearly as pretty. Here is a quick pick in the $17 delivered price range. Not pushing it on him, but it gives OP a range of product depending on the budget available. Ebay will have many others also, probably starting in the $12 range for plain steel ones...
http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Steel-...ll+stem+taller
/K