Repair or Replace ?

Recently I had gotten on the Nordic Track for under a minute when whoops !  My feet came out from under me - the strap had broken.

The Nordic Track was a pretty ruggedly designed machine - meant to mimic cross country skiing motion.  There are two one way rollers under the skis which drive a flywheel.  The strap is a length of nylon webbing about 1 inch wide that rides in a groove on the flywheel.  The strap is wound most of the way around the wheel and is tensioned by a spring.  As the machine is used the strap rubs on the wheel generating warmth to the touch.  But this friction and heat must eventually break down the strap until snap !

Note that this is a much better system than the old stationary bike I had from AMF.  It just had an adjustable pressure roller on a wheel - eventually the wheel bearings heated up and froze.

Here is a picture of the removed strap:

Ebay still has listings for the strap:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/255879679323 

But $25.95 plus tax seemed like a lot to me so I did what I've done previously on my original Nordic Track: I sewed the two pieces of nylon strap together with a needle and thread.  It was a productive way to listen to the Brewers for a few innings.

It works OK but the adjustment is kinda touchy - hopefully it will last another decade.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm