Resurecting Iggy the story so far

A while ago I asked if I should restore Iggy and the vibe seemed to be that the project should go ahead. I have begun with the purchase of an A-head converter & a handlebar stem from a local bike shop. I attempted to remove the old handlebar stem and basically suceeded in removing the bolt that held it in but not the actual stem itself.

I was able to remove the handlebars and put them on the new stem but the old stem remained stuck. I tried everything from twisting and turning and wrestling with the bike to spraying lube down the tube and trying to lubricate it so it would slide out. It seemed that all was to no avail. That was until this morning.

I took Iggy to a bikeshop in Fyshwick that specialises in secondhand bikes and asked if they could remove the stem. I expected the process to involve some work. However after inspecting what I had done, the mechanic simply came out with a hammer and adminstered a few taps to the stem  which simply fell out onto the floor.

With the stem removed I will be able to insert the A-head converter and continue the project. There has been some interesting developments as regards the concept. I have seen a couple of touring bikes with 26 inch wheels pretty much similar to Iggy but with drop bars. I have also been tempted by moustach bars, both concepts will require the use of bar end shifters.

To some information on how these will work I thought I would set up 3 questions in the discussion section. Hopefully I will be able to get some idea of the usefullness of each possible solution.