Vital BMX Interview: Jake Farley
Text/Photos: Kevin Conners
Click any image to see our entire Jake Farley Photo Album
What is there to say about Jake that I haven’t already given him a hard time for? Well, the kid is simply amazing—he just kind of popped onto the Las Vegas scene. All of a sudden there was the infamous YMCA skatepark, then next thing you knew, this kid named Jake there killing it every day. But don’t limit Jake to just his smooth, tech lines that he amazes everyone with at the YMCA. Come to find out, he has no problem laying it down on endless street spots as well. Maybe it’s just the simple fact that whatever Jake pulls, he always feels that it’s not clicked enough or clean enough. Throughout the years Jake has always proven his stories of finding some ridiculous unclaimed Vegas spot. Some may call him shady, but when you don’t have a car and ride your bike all around you tend to end up with some ridiculous spots and endless shady Vegas stories.
So what’s up with everyone saying you hardly ride anymore, and that you just go to art shows? I don’t blame you, there is a lot going on at First Friday.
I do like the First Friday thing, but I don’t know about all this “stopped riding” thing! I do work a boat-load but never the less, I haven’t yet let pass any chance to go ride, whether it be at my local park or just going out on my own and riding stuff I have never ridden before.
Does this have anything to do with the fact that, I had your bike sitting at the Premium office for over two weeks?
I think I called everyone I knew to either find out what was going on with my bike or who had enough parts to piece something together for me to ride! That was probably the most impatient wait I’ve ever been through in my life!
Unlike most riders your age (18), you went out and got a job right after graduating—a pretty serious job at that (pharmacy tech). How’s that been? Does it make you more motivated to ride harder when you have the time off?
Yeah, for sure! It’s hard working so much, but at the same time it’s allowing me to have more opportunities in further places. So it is a hard aspect of life but that’s how it is. I have no choice but to make it work while making the best of it.
You recently bought a car and moved out of your parents’ place, how is the freedom. Or does this just mean you end up working at the pharmacy more?
It definitely means more work at the pharmacy, but also for the past few months I’ve done nothing but save money so I will be on the road more!
I watched you go from having endless trail-style lines to doing hang five tech lines all over the place. What gives? When will I get to see one of those dialed inverts?
I actually have a friend who is slowly building up some trail action at his house, so hopefully soon.
So you went on a trip for five days with Premium and at the end of the trip I believe you almost had more money than when you came on the trip with. How do you come up with a scenario like that? Can you be my personal banker?
I have no idea! I think I have only come up on one of those trips, which is solely to the fact that I choose the generic substitutes for almost every meal. You guys choose Subway, I choose the two-day-old grocery generics. It works the same as the fancy brand but cost like 75% less! You guys also have expensive taste in drinks—you guys know there are cheap knock-offs for that, too. I did lose on the other trip, because I came up on top but ended up with a hospital bill to snake it away. So I pretty much ended up broke like everyone else.
What’s with all the custom paint job shenanigans? Your bike was green and then all of a sudden it looked like someone threw a bag of Skittles directly at it.
Well I was actually bored at a friend's place who by chance had unlimited colors of spray paint to offer. And well, you know how that goes.
If you could ride one spot in Vegas for the rest of your riding years what would it be?
I have no idea—that’s a hard question. I would probably say Brown ditch. In my eyes there are endless opportunities and lines to do.
You traveled a fair amount this last year, what was one of the best experience you had, on or off your bike?
The best experience was going up to the Northwest for sure. Cold and amazing parks—exactly how I like it.
Last words or thanks?
Kevin Conners, Pete Demos, Braxton Wirthlin, Hanza’s dad scientist, and that sums it up.
