Clipless bicycle pedal system

A clipless bicycle pedal system for releasably attaching a bicyclist's shoe to a bicycle, said clipless bicycle pedal system comprising:

• a pedal body rotatably mounted on an axle, said axle being removably attached to a crank arm of a bicycle, said pedal body having a center, a leading edge and a trailing edge, and having a first and a second surface;
• and
• a cleat comprising a cylindrical portion having an outer cylindrical surface, said outer cylindrical surface having a plurality of fractionally cylindrical slots of predetermined first arc length formed therein, and a vertical axis coincident with the arc center of the cylindrical slots said cleat being affixed to said first surface;
• and
• a plurality of engaging mechanisms, each of said engaging mechanisms comprising a tongue and an urging means, said tongue having a fractionally cylindrical portion of predetermined second arc length less than said first arc length, said tongue cooperating with said urging means and being adapted to resile into and be removably seated in one of the slots in said cleat under the influence of said urging means, and having mounting means for affixing said plurality of engaging mechanisms to a bicycling shoe;
• and
• wherein the tongue fractionally cylindrical portions combine and cooperate with said fractionally cylindrical slots to releasably capture said plurality of engaging mechanisms on the pedal and allow the engaging mechanisms to rotate about said vertical axis up to plus or minus a predetermined angle, thereby providing pedal float, and wherein said plurality of engaging mechanisms will be released from the pedal when said plurality of engaging mechanisms are rotated to an angle greater than said predetermined angle.