diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValue.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValue.java
index 6bb53bc..e6ccda2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValue.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValue.java
@@ -16,9 +16,8 @@
 import com.google.common.base.Objects;
 
 public class TimedValue<V> {
-
-  private final V value;
-  private final long created;
+  private V value;
+  private long created;
 
   TimedValue(V value) {
     this.created = System.currentTimeMillis();
@@ -34,10 +33,18 @@
     return created;
   }
 
+  void setCreated(long created) {
+    this.created = created;
+  }
+
   public V getValue() {
     return value;
   }
 
+  void setValue(V value) {
+    this.value = value;
+  }
+
   @Override
   public boolean equals(Object o) {
     if (this == o) return true;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValueMarshaller.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValueMarshaller.java
index 13f12ec..d3dd713 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValueMarshaller.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/modules/cache/chroniclemap/TimedValueMarshaller.java
@@ -27,6 +27,14 @@
         BytesReader<TimedValue<V>>,
         ReadResolvable<TimedValueMarshaller<V>> {
 
+  private static final ThreadLocal<byte[]> staticBuffer =
+      new ThreadLocal<byte[]>() {
+        @Override
+        protected byte[] initialValue() {
+          return new byte[Long.BYTES + Integer.BYTES];
+        }
+      };
+
   private final CacheSerializer<V> cacheSerializer;
 
   TimedValueMarshaller(MetricMaker metricMaker, String name) {
@@ -48,29 +56,23 @@
   @Override
   public TimedValue<V> read(Bytes in, TimedValue<V> using) {
     try (Timer0.Context timer = metrics.deserializeLatency.start()) {
-      long initialPosition = in.readPosition();
-
-      // Deserialize the creation timestamp (first 8 bytes)
-      byte[] serializedLong = new byte[Long.BYTES];
-      in.read(serializedLong, 0, Long.BYTES);
-      ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(serializedLong);
-      long created = buffer.getLong(0);
-      in.readPosition(initialPosition + Long.BYTES);
-
-      // Deserialize the length of the serialized value (second 8 bytes)
-      byte[] serializedInt = new byte[Integer.BYTES];
-      in.read(serializedInt, 0, Integer.BYTES);
-      ByteBuffer buffer2 = ByteBuffer.wrap(serializedInt);
-      int vLength = buffer2.getInt(0);
-      in.readPosition(initialPosition + Long.BYTES + Integer.BYTES);
+      byte[] bytesBuffer = staticBuffer.get();
+      in.read(bytesBuffer);
+      ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(bytesBuffer);
+      long created = buffer.getLong();
+      int vLength = buffer.getInt();
 
       // Deserialize object V (remaining bytes)
       byte[] serializedV = new byte[vLength];
-      in.read(serializedV, 0, vLength);
+      in.read(serializedV);
       V v = cacheSerializer.deserialize(serializedV);
 
-      using = new TimedValue<>(v, created);
-
+      if (using == null) {
+        using = new TimedValue<>(v, created);
+      } else {
+        using.setCreated(created);
+        using.setValue(v);
+      }
       return using;
     }
   }
@@ -84,20 +86,12 @@
       // Serialize as follows:
       // created | length of serialized V | serialized value V
       // 8 bytes |       4 bytes          | serialized_length bytes
-
-      int capacity = Long.BYTES + Integer.BYTES + serialized.length;
-      ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.allocate(capacity);
-
-      long timestamp = toWrite.getCreated();
-      buffer.putLong(0, timestamp);
-
-      buffer.position(Long.BYTES);
+      byte[] bytesBuffer = staticBuffer.get();
+      ByteBuffer buffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(bytesBuffer);
+      buffer.putLong(toWrite.getCreated());
       buffer.putInt(serialized.length);
-
-      buffer.position(Long.BYTES + Integer.BYTES);
-      buffer.put(serialized);
-
-      out.write(buffer.array());
+      out.write(bytesBuffer);
+      out.write(serialized);
     }
   }
 }