Originally Posted by margarets

This was in the email I got back from the bike shop:

I can verify that the (brand) hard chain cases are prone to breaking. (Brand) uses vinyl on most of their chain cases which is a preferable material since it is flexible. The hard plastic cases, as on the (your model), can be problematic and sometimes break with regular usage. The mechanics do take care, and open them up on a weekly basis, and they still break on semi-regular occasion.

I still stand by the our assurances that (brand) are hardy year round bicycles, however, the hard chain case could certainly be improved upon. It's worthwhile to mention that this is an industry-wide problem. (Brand) has made some of the best efforts at covering their chain, but even the vinyl cases have their detractors, while many riders prefer the hard case despite its flaws. There is currently no perfect solution, just as a rust-proof chain has yet to be perfected. As a result, some ongoing maintenance is sometimes required.

When I bought the bike (from this same bike shop) the chain case was mentioned as a selling point and NO ONE said anything about it being highly breakable and hard to replace yadda yadda. That was in June 2010.