There are very few other options, but there is the Dirt Drop, which I think costs just as much, but doesn't have the classic road shape. But for a tall stem, you are going to pay $40 or more. For weight weenies, they pay a lot more for a lot less stem.

The fact that the stem costs half as much as the rest of the bike just means you got a great deal on the rest of the bike. I spent almost as much on my Technomic and Nitto Randonneur bar as I did on my Schwinn Voyageur, but it made the bike into what I wanted to ride, and combined made it worth more than what I would pay for any modern bike... at a significantly reduced cost. Then when I spent the money to upgrade the drive train to modern 105, I had exactly what I wanted.