Basil’s wire basket came with a bail. I thought I could live with it, but the truth is that it was a constant minor annoyance.
No matter which way I flipped it, the wire blocked the basket opening. Then there was the comfort issue: Although the bail has a plastic handle, it’s sufficiently thin and unergonomic that using it is really not much better than holding the bare wire.
So I removed it. Though this required some finicky (and gentle) bending and pulling, it was surprisingly easy to do.
When the basket is attached to the Brompton S frame, it’s easy to carry it with the far nicer Brompton handle. When the basket’s not in use, it doesn’t need a handle. Much better.