Originally Posted by
Little Darwin
The noodle would be trapped... but the other odd thing I notice in the picture is that the noodle is outside the retainer, and would be trapped even with a slot on top if it wasn't removed and positioned. differently, that's part of what made me think the slot might be below... and since I have never seen a retainer without a slot, I am just grasping at straws.
I suspect this is a low end brake, and possibly there's no slot because the material lacks the strength or stiffness.
OTOH - you are right that the noodle seems to be routed through the gap on the side of the clip which would trap it no matter what the OP did. I suspect that's an assembly error, which could be solved by freeing the wire from the pinch bolt and rerouting.
If the OP doesn't want to modify the clip, he can keep a hex hey handy and free the wire from the pinch bolt each time to remove the wheel. He can make reattaching go a bit faster by coloring the wire on either side of the bolt, so he can quickly tighten it in the same place. Not Ideal, but depending on the circumstances, and the OPs wrench skills might be easier/faster than deflating the tire.