I have a friend who is about 6'5" tall and weighs maybe 240 pounds, a big
solid blue-collar type, very strong.

The guy must be jumping tall buildings or something to bend his seat post like
that. Up until 1999 I was riding my mountain bike to and from (10 miles daily)
work plus pleasure riding any day there wasn't snow over 4 inches deep and I
NEVER had a bent seatpost. Unless he had a really cheap bike I don't see how he
could bend a post. Oh I weighed about 260 give or take ten pounds at the time.
Dennis