No the trails generally aren't marked. There are a lot of paths along the East side with ad-hoc downhill techie bits - best look at heat maps on Strava TBH. Beware it's very busy with walkers at weekends to the point where I don't bother, particularly on any sunny days, and on the path along the...
Shimano (and others) say if you operate below the minimum temps you won't damage the battery, and performance/capacity will return to normal when temps go back up so no worries with garage storage (in the UK).
1000km seems normal from reading this and other forums, but some seem to do much better, some worse, so makes me wonder just how accurate are the mass produced and cheap chain wear measuring tools . .
Shimano say the temp limits for use are;
discharge: –10°C - 50°C
charging: 0°C - 40°C
Operating outside these temps can cause permanent damage.
Googling around I found a couple of articles which said storage in temps below -20c can cause permanent damage, in which case most of us in the UK are...
The standard bike is a great buy; the bigger battery gaves a great range and everything is spot on for XC trails. Depending on your weight and where you ride the front disk might be worth upgrading from 180 to 203mm. The rear suspension geometry/linkages make it a bit loose at the back but I...
Turn the drivetrain backwards by holding the actual chainring not the pedals. Or carry a large releasable cable tie to put round the crank and chainring . . or a bit of string . . . shoelace . . . etc
Interesting question: what is the optimum price bracket for an eMTB between super cheap ones that clearly won't hack it and top spec carbon limited edition; for XC+ with small drops/jumps? £3-5k?
Not sure it's fair to describe it as fashion otherwise any non essential item becomes fashion. It's a sport/leisure activity driven by product function and efficiency although accessories, like for anything, are certainly as much fashion as function. Just look what snowboarders wear 😂