This can be a great way to exploit the full performance of a bike legally and without putting your shiny and no doubt more expensive pride and joy at risk of a slide down Paddock Hill. But experts are warning that a proportion of machines advertised as ‘track bikes’ have a shady past, with some turning out to be stolen. Obviously, nobody wants to fall victim to buying a nicked machine. Firstly, it only lines the pockets of crooks and fuels the trade in stolen machines. And secondly, you stand the risk of having the machine seized by the police and could end up in trouble yourself. The good news is that there are plenty of tell-tale signs when it comes to spotting ringers.