I bought a used crew track bike recently and it feels a bit too small. There’s toe touch on the front wheel and I swear the frame is a 53 or 52cm. The mechanic at one of the local shops near me measured it and said it’s a 56cm. He measured the seat tube. The top tube length is 53cm though. Are crew bikes frame’s small?

Guessing that this is your first real track bike. True track frames (as opposed to road frame conversions and road-geometry fixie bikes like the Specialized Langster) have steeper angles, shorter top tubes, and shorter wheelbases than almost any other category of bikes. The bottom bracket is usually higher, too.

I'd be surprised if there are any modern track frames out there that don't have toe overlap.

That kind of track bike is extremely stable but has extremely rapid handling. I rode a steel Bianchi track bike on the road for years and loved it, but it was always a handful, especially on rough road surfaces. You get bounced all over the place. Finally got myself a Langster, which was very comfortable in comparison, despite having an aluminum frame and aluminum fork.

By the way, you can get used to toe overlap quickly. Just be careful maneuvering at low speed. At anything over about 5 mph, you steer by leaning, so the wheel stays nearly straight and doesn't get anywhere near your shoe.

Definitely not my first “real” track bike and Crew definitely doesn’t make “real” track bikes.