To answer a couple of questions.

The LBS where I bought the bike put the 11-28 cassette on when I had the worn chain replaced. Found I had let the chain get too worn and told me had to replace the cassette. They did not have a 12-30 in stock.

There is a protective strip on the chain stay. I do not ride small-small but have tried it there and don't seem to get any chain slap when I tried.

In the big-big combination I pulled the chain to overlap two more links to get an idea of how much slack I had there. It extends the rear derailleur cage further forward but looked like the chain still had a good "S" through the jockey wheels. Being a rookie didn't know how much that cage can extend forward safely. Below is a pic in the big-big combination.



Thanks again for the help.