Shimano derailleur return spring

[Sergeant Pluck]

Can you replace the return spring(s) on a Shimano derailleur or is it time for a new one?

[Mr Larrington]

Replacement springs used to be available, but a bit of searching teh internets suggests that this is no longer the case chiz.

[Becky]

Sidetrak's Powerspring used to be the standard replacement for Shimano rear derailleur springs.  Their website reads rather on the retro side but seems up to date.

XT and XTR springs were in stainless steel and stronger than the LX (and lower) equivalent, and consequently were worth holding onto even if the rest of the derailleur was worn out.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Thanks Mr L and Becky. I should have specified that this refers to a standard high normal Ultegra long cage 9-speed. Most of what Google throws up on replacement sprngs seems to refer to low-normal MTB changers.

The exploded diagrams on the Shimano site show only the B-tension and P-tension springs, but I assume there is a low-to-high direction return within the parallelogram itself.

[andrew w]

Is it definitely the spring that's gone?  Reluctance to shift to a smaller cog can often be caused by stickiness in the cable, rather than by anything wrong with the return spring.  A new cable inner and outer might cure your problem - the curved bit of cable outer near the rear derailleur is a likely candidate for getting gunged up and obstructed.

Andrew

[Sergeant Pluck]

It's a new cable and outer but I will check that later, thanks Andrew. It's just a little slow, but does complete the change.