Jerry,
While it may sound abhorrent to some of the fine Francophiles on this list (...and actually, I count myself among said group despite my demonstrably wanton ways), I have owned two vintage French bikes equipped with full Campagnolo componentry. With respect to their top tube clamps, I simply cannot recall what my Peugeot PZ-10 used because it only saw somewhere between 400 to 500 miles of use before its untimely demise back in 1983 (...still a sore subject, so don't even think to ask). Now as for my 1971 Gitane Super Corsa which I have had since the mid 1970's and which I have strived to maintain in its original condition, yes indeed, it came equipped with Campy cable clips oh so carefully fitted to its "super-sized" top tube (...and no, the #*!@ screws are not any longer than standard, so you are pretty much - well you know). That having been said, it has been my observation with respect to Gitane SC's of that era that only those which came equipped with the optional Campagnolo Record brakeset (Â…Campy Record side pull calipers, long reach levers, 1.8 mm cables and no braze-on brake cable hanger between the rear seat stays on the frameset) were fitted with corresponding Campy top tube cable clamps. On standard SC models having MAFAC Racer or Competition brakesets (Racer or Competition center pull calipers depending upon whatever Gitane apparently had on hand at the time, MAFAC Dural Course 121 levers, and a braze-on brake cable hanger between the rear seat stays similar to their TdF models) the brake cable clamps themselves were of the Simplex variety (...which always struck me as being somewhat odd because on MAFAC equipped TdF's from that same era, such as my own which I purchased new in May of 1973, the brake cable clamps were the Huret "open window" hoop style).
Robert "fallen Francophile" Broderick ...the Frozen Flatlands of South Dakota
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I try to use Simplex (or Huret), but these are getting harder to find. Sometimes one has to resort to (horrors) Campy. BTW, I've tried to find longer screws for Campy clips, but they seem to have used a non-standard pitch, so hardware-store metric screws won't fit. I guess one could drill out the bulit-in nuts on the Campy clips, then use a standard nut behind it, but that would look a bit tacky. In The Day, most French manufacturers, with the notable exception of Peugeot, offered an all-Campy model. Did these use Campy clips? If so, did they have longer screws?
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, TX