diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
index c79325bc8b..dbfc1ccc78 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder.java
@@ -179,12 +179,12 @@ public class DelimiterBasedFrameDecoder extends FrameDecoder {
             }
 
             if (stripDelimiter) {
-                frame = buffer.readBytes(minFrameLength);
-                buffer.skipBytes(minDelimLength);
+                frame = buffer.slice(buffer.readerIndex(), minFrameLength);
             } else {
-                frame = buffer.readBytes(minFrameLength + minDelimLength);
+                frame = buffer.slice(buffer.readerIndex(), minFrameLength + minDelimLength);
             }
 
+            buffer.skipBytes(minFrameLength + minDelimLength);
             return frame;
         } else {
             if (buffer.readableBytes() > maxFrameLength) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
index 27f01c50f9..3fe7bd81a5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FixedLengthFrameDecoder.java
@@ -63,7 +63,9 @@ public class FixedLengthFrameDecoder extends FrameDecoder {
         if (buffer.readableBytes() < frameLength) {
             return null;
         } else {
-            return buffer.readBytes(frameLength);
+            ChannelBuffer frame = buffer.slice(buffer.readerIndex(), frameLength);
+            buffer.skipBytes(frameLength);
+            return frame;
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FrameDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FrameDecoder.java
index 4b76ff7756..ee7e3fdf22 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FrameDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/FrameDecoder.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 package org.jboss.netty.handler.codec.frame;
 
 import java.net.SocketAddress;
-import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffer;
 import org.jboss.netty.buffer.ChannelBuffers;
@@ -181,8 +180,8 @@ import org.jboss.netty.handler.codec.replay.ReplayingDecoder;
 public abstract class FrameDecoder extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
 
     private final boolean unfold;
-    private final AtomicReference<ChannelBuffer> cumulation =
-        new AtomicReference<ChannelBuffer>();
+    private ChannelBuffer cumulation = ChannelBuffers.EMPTY_BUFFER;
+    private boolean cleanedUp;
 
     protected FrameDecoder() {
         this(false);
@@ -207,16 +206,17 @@ public abstract class FrameDecoder extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
             return;
         }
 
-        ChannelBuffer cumulation = cumulation(ctx);
+        ChannelBuffer cumulation = this.cumulation;
         if (cumulation.readable()) {
-            cumulation.discardReadBytes();
-            cumulation.writeBytes(input);
-            callDecode(ctx, e.getChannel(), cumulation, e.getRemoteAddress());
+            cumulation = ChannelBuffers.wrappedBuffer(cumulation, input);
         } else {
-            callDecode(ctx, e.getChannel(), input, e.getRemoteAddress());
-            if (input.readable()) {
-                cumulation.writeBytes(input);
-            }
+            cumulation = input;
+        }
+
+        try {
+            callDecode(ctx, e.getChannel(), cumulation, e.getRemoteAddress());
+        } finally {
+            this.cumulation = cumulation.slice();
         }
     }
 
@@ -321,10 +321,12 @@ public abstract class FrameDecoder extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
     private void cleanup(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ChannelStateEvent e)
             throws Exception {
         try {
-            ChannelBuffer cumulation = this.cumulation.getAndSet(null);
-            if (cumulation == null) {
+            if (cleanedUp) {
                 return;
             }
+            cleanedUp = true;
+            ChannelBuffer cumulation = this.cumulation;
+            this.cumulation = ChannelBuffers.EMPTY_BUFFER;
 
             if (cumulation.readable()) {
                 // Make sure all frames are read before notifying a closed channel.
@@ -342,16 +344,4 @@ public abstract class FrameDecoder extends SimpleChannelUpstreamHandler {
             ctx.sendUpstream(e);
         }
     }
-
-    private ChannelBuffer cumulation(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) {
-        ChannelBuffer buf = cumulation.get();
-        if (buf == null) {
-            buf = ChannelBuffers.dynamicBuffer(
-                    ctx.getChannel().getConfig().getBufferFactory());
-            if (!cumulation.compareAndSet(null, buf)) {
-                buf = cumulation.get();
-            }
-        }
-        return buf;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder.java
index 7652ac5ec3..0988630b06 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder.java
@@ -363,7 +363,11 @@ public class LengthFieldBasedFrameDecoder extends FrameDecoder {
                     "Adjusted frame length (" + frameLength + ") is less " +
                     "than initialBytesToStrip: " + initialBytesToStrip);
         }
-        buffer.skipBytes(initialBytesToStrip);
-        return buffer.readBytes(frameLengthInt - initialBytesToStrip);
+
+        ChannelBuffer frame = buffer.slice(
+                buffer.readerIndex() + initialBytesToStrip,
+                frameLengthInt - initialBytesToStrip);
+        buffer.skipBytes(frameLengthInt);
+        return frame;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/protobuf/ProtobufVarint32FrameDecoder.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/protobuf/ProtobufVarint32FrameDecoder.java
index 57fbfe7782..722103343a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/protobuf/ProtobufVarint32FrameDecoder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/protobuf/ProtobufVarint32FrameDecoder.java
@@ -55,7 +55,11 @@ public class ProtobufVarint32FrameDecoder extends FrameDecoder {
                     break;
                 }
 
-                return buffer.readBytes(messageSize);
+                // TODO Extract (ChannelBuffer.slice(int, int) + skipBytes(int))
+                //      into a new method in ChannelBuffer
+                ChannelBuffer frame = buffer.slice(buffer.readerIndex(), messageSize);
+                buffer.skipBytes(messageSize);
+                return frame;
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/AbstractSocketFixedLengthEchoTest.java b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/AbstractSocketFixedLengthEchoTest.java
index d971fc452f..1d77ac9426 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/AbstractSocketFixedLengthEchoTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/codec/frame/AbstractSocketFixedLengthEchoTest.java
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractSocketFixedLengthEchoTest {
 
         Channel cc = ccf.getChannel();
         for (int i = 0; i < data.length;) {
-            int length = Math.min(random.nextInt(1024 * 64), data.length - i);
+            int length = Math.min(random.nextInt(1024 * 3), data.length - i);
             cc.write(ChannelBuffers.wrappedBuffer(data, i, length));
             i += length;
         }