Local woman finds way to beat gas prices

By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason FCT Staff Writer
A local woman has traded in her modern PT Cruiser for a battery-powered bike in an attempt to conserve energy in the wake of the increased gas prices over the past few years.
Brenda Hopson, 59, of Russellville purchased her battery-powered bike from a company based in California over the Internet last year for around $800.
She decided to go with the battery because of the steep hills in the area that would make biking difficult for her.
"The bike came unassembled so I had to pay a store in Florence to assemble it for me," Hopson said.
The purchase price included a rechargeable battery that lasts about two weeks on a full charge.
After spending nearly $1000 on the bike, Hopson wasn't taking any chances had a secret security feature installed on the bike to prevent theft, she said.
"It took about 24 hours to get the battery fully charged the first time, but now I can go a long time on each charge," she said.
The bike, more like a large version of a tricycle, has three wheels and a large basket in the rear for hauling, making the cycle handy for errands around town, on good weather days, anyway.
"I never learned to ride a two wheel bicycle as a child since in my day our parents saw them more as a danger," Hopson said.
Hopson enjoys cycling with her husband of 38 years, Larry, her children and grandchildren.
However, Larry's bike isn't the electro-charged super scooter version like Brenda's.
His bike is a regular 10-speed bike – no battery and no extra help climbing those hills.
"We [she and her son] have taken our bikes as far at the new highway underpass by Wal-Mart," she says. "We even rode our bikes to the Watermelon festival and back home again to avoid traffic jams."
Since having the bike, Hopson has only had one acci-