Trucks are the metal parts under the deck that the wheels are attached to and they enable your board to turn and grind. They are comprised of a baseplate, kingpin, bushings, hanger & axle. The baseplate is the bit that is bolted to your board. The kingpin is the big bolt that comes up through the middle of the baseplate. It is used to adjust the turn response of your board; the tighter it is the less your trucks will turn, that is what it means to tighten your trucks. The hanger is the bit that you grind and the wheels are attached to the axle. When choosing what trucks to ride, first consider the size of your board and the type of terrain you want to ride. Trucks come in many different lengths and heights. The length of the trucks is determined by how long the axel is. Most people try to ride trucks that are about as long as their boards are wide. For instance, if you ride a 7.75 inch board you would want to find a pair of trucks that is 7.75 inches long, or close to it. As for the height (how tall the trucks are) most people who skate a lot of street, prefer to use a lower profile truck with smaller wheels.  While most vert or bowl riders choose to use a higher profile truck with bigger wheels (the lower your trucks, the smaller your wheels should be and vice versa).

Risers do two things. They help relieve stress from the trucks, which helps keep the deck from cracking (also called pressure cracks, which are produced by over tightening of the hardware and general wear and tear). More importantly, risers help keep the wheels from biting into the board on a hard turn, causing the board to suddenly stop, also known as wheel bite. It's a bad thing to have happen. Most risers are about 1/8" high. If you have extra large wheels, you'll want higher risers. On the other hand, if your wheels are small (52mm), then you might not need risers at all. Most people who ride street style boards with smaller wheels do not use risers. Most people use risers for longboards or cruisers because they ride fairly loose trucks with those types of set ups. It all depends on your personal preference and trial and error is the name of the game.