Wow, fabulous plant!
I don't find their leaves/roots to be particularly brittle. The leaves seem to be tough as leather.
I had to repot mine as an emergency measure because I left mine soaking in a pot of water for 5 days. The ultimate story of careless forgetfulness, which seems to be a paradox because I'm normally obsessive about my orchids. It didn't seem to have too many roots, but enough to set my heart at ease. It kept right on growing after the repot, and now it has 1 new bulb and new roots.