Originally Posted by
Bu11dog
In the end I deiced to purchase a Charge Cooker 3 27.5+ from REI. Mostly for it new 27.5+ tire. I will stay with hard-tail as my first MTB and continue researching and saving money for a FS MTB in the future.
That seems like an excellent decision. That bike has an excellent component spec. The 27.5+ tires should help take the edge off things, even without full suspension.
The main thing you need to get is a good tire pressure gauge, ideally something for 0-30psi, that can clearly read 0.1psi increments. Optimum riding pressure is likely in the 10-20 psi range (depending on weight). Run the front ~3psi lower than the rear.
Changing the pressure by 1-2psi can make a HUGE difference in the ride quality. Be sure to experiment. General rule, keep going lower until it feels very sluggish or you get pinch flats.