Originally Posted by roccobike

OP, Fortunatley or unfortunatley, IMHO the best way to figure out what you want is to buy a MTB and ride for a while. As for brands, take your pick there are many. I like Specialized, but that's a personal preference. One bit of advice on size, er on the side of smaller size, not larger. At 5' 5", a M size is the max I would consider and only if it was a 17" frame, no way I'd start out with a 18" frame. You might want smaller, like a 15" frame. I bought my Stumpy hardtail used from a 5'4" woman who raced it and I'm a tad over 5' 8". But I like a smaller frame that I can throw around. I like the recommendation to go for a CF frame, that's what I'd like to get for my next bike. Also I like air forks, they're lighter and typically higher quality than basic forks. Hope this helps and good luck with your search. After you find a few bikes, post again asking about them on the forums.