Car belt saves obsolete elliptical from landfill

About twenty years ago, I bought a cheap (~RM500) elliptical (cross-trainer) from Giant supermarket in Bayan Baru. The model is Trojan Strider.

Recently, its rubber belt broke. Unfortunately, there is no local representative for the Trojan brand. I can't use belts intended for other models because they have different length, width and number of ribs.

Elliptical viewed from the right. The broken belt is dangling from the crankarm

The original belt showing 4 ribs running along its length. 

So, the old elliptical appeared to be heading for the landfill. As the thought of scrapping so much steel pained me, I decided to gamble on substituting with an automotive belt. Bando brand of automotive belts come in 25 mm increment. So, there should be one belt that can fit the elliptical.

After experimenting with several lengths, I settled on Bando 3360 which measures 13 x 890 mm. The replacement differed from the original in two respects: 1. ribs that run across the width (as opposed to the original's lengthwise ribs) and 2. ~3x thicker.

Despite the differences, the substitution worked and the elliptical is back to functioning normally. So, the old machine gained a temporary respite from the landfill.