jenyakp said:
I recently got this bike that is just missing a battery.
Where was it purchased? Knowing that, the purchaser can be asked what battery it was used with originally, which may help you determine what it can be used with now.
I want to be able to ride for 20-30 miles in a pretty hilly area and am willing to peddle. Is this possible with the motor and controller I have?
Depends on the specifics of the hills (length and slope), and your weight along with the electric ssystem's weight and any other stuff you'll be carrying, along with the speed you need to go, and the headwinds, if any. The http://ebikes.ca/simulator can help you determine this, especially if you happen to know which Crystalyte motor it is that you have. Attaching pictures of your bike, motor, and controller/display, especially showing any markings of any kind on each of them, may help us help you figure out if those are appropriate for your situation.
If so, what battery specs would I need? Any battery recommendations?
We would need to know the info from the paragraph above to answer this. If you were riding on the flats with no hills and always used full throttle from a stop to accelerate to maximum speed the system could handle, with no stops for the whole 30 miles, then using a 72v battery the simulator guesstimates (with the default Crystalyte motor), 26" wheel, 220lbs total weight, mountain bike style, upright riding position, etc (as specified here:
https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?batt=B7223_AC&cont=C40&axis=mph&hp=0
you'd be going 40mph, and take about 70wh/mile, so for 30 miles x 70wh/mile it would need at least a 2100wh battery to go that distance. At 72v, that is 2100 / 72, that's about a 30Ah battery. It will probably be about 35-40lbs for the battery itself, and be the volume of a stack of hardback books, maybe a foot high or more. (could be any shape).
The 40mph itself may require (for safety) modifications / upgrades to the bike itself, such as brakes, wheels, fork, etc. So if you don't want to go that fast, mroe like regular bicycle speeds around 20MPH or less, then you can simply ride slower (less throttle) and not have to worry about that stuff.
A lower speed will also require a lower amount of power; for instance 20MPH with all the above same stuff would only take a third of the power, and so would only require a third of the amount of battery to do the same thing, so the battery would be one third the size and weight (and probably cost).
Also, the controller has a pin for pedal assist and I have a display, is installing pedal assist easy?
That depends on the specifics of your controller. We'd need to know exactly which model it is to look it up on the manufacturer website to find the info about whihc PAS types are compatible (there are several available), and what it might be able to do for you, so that you will knwo if it is even something you want.
All of the below types are controller-specific, so you ahve to change the controller and display to change which type of PAS you get, in most cases.
THe most common PAS siimply takes you to the full speed (and/or power) that is set in the display for the chosen PAS level, and is only on or off. IF you are pedalling, it gives you that speed/power, and if you are not, it does not give you any motor assist at all.
Another type only enalbes the throttle when you pedal, and disables it when you are not.
Another type uses the speed at which you pedal to vary the assist within the range of the PAS level set within the display, from none to full. Some are better at various responses than others.
Another type uses a torque sensor to determine the force with which you are pushing on the pedals, *and* a cadence sensor to determine the speed at which you are pedaling, to give you an amount of assist that varies within the limits of the PAS level that is set in the display,
There are variants on these, but those are the basic ones.
