diff --git a/multiaddr_test.go b/multiaddr_test.go
index c7ec5dc..cc02844 100644
--- a/multiaddr_test.go
+++ b/multiaddr_test.go
@@ -232,7 +232,6 @@ func TestBytesToString(t *testing.T) {
 	testString("/onion3/vww6ybal4bd7szmgncyruucpgfkqahzddi37ktceo3ah7ngmcopnpyyd:1234", "bd03adadec040be047f9658668b11a504f3155001f231a37f54c4476c07fb4cc139ed7e30304d2")
 	testString("/garlic64/jT~IyXaoauTni6N4517EG8mrFUKpy0IlgZh-EY9csMAk82Odatmzr~YTZy8Hv7u~wvkg75EFNOyqb~nAPg-khyp2TS~ObUz8WlqYAM2VlEzJ7wJB91P-cUlKF18zSzVoJFmsrcQHZCirSbWoOknS6iNmsGRh5KVZsBEfp1Dg3gwTipTRIx7Vl5Vy~1OSKQVjYiGZS9q8RL0MF~7xFiKxZDLbPxk0AK9TzGGqm~wMTI2HS0Gm4Ycy8LYPVmLvGonIBYndg2bJC7WLuF6tVjVquiokSVDKFwq70BCUU5AU-EvdOD5KEOAM7mPfw-gJUG4tm1TtvcobrObqoRnmhXPTBTN5H7qDD12AvlwFGnfAlBXjuP4xOUAISL5SRLiulrsMSiT4GcugSI80mF6sdB0zWRgL1yyvoVWeTBn1TqjO27alr95DGTluuSqrNAxgpQzCKEWAyzrQkBfo2avGAmmz2NaHaAvYbOg0QSJz1PLjv2jdPW~ofiQmrGWM1cd~1cCqAAAA",
 		"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")
-
 }
 
 func TestBytesSplitAndJoin(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/transcoders.go b/transcoders.go
index 4062a25..f9ce700 100644
--- a/transcoders.go
+++ b/transcoders.go
@@ -215,28 +215,26 @@ func onion3BtS(b []byte) (string, error) {
 var TranscoderGarlic64 = NewTranscoderFromFunctions(garlic64StB, garlic64BtS, garlicValidate)
 
 // i2p uses an alternate character set for base64 addresses. This returns an appropriate encoder.
-func garlicBase64Encoding() *base64.Encoding {
-	return base64.NewEncoding("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789-~")
-}
+var garlicBase64Encoding = base64.NewEncoding("ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789-~")
 
 func garlic64StB(s string) ([]byte, error) {
 	// i2p base64 address
 	if len(s) < 516 || len(s) > 616 {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse garlic addr: %s not an i2p base64 address. len: %d\n", s, len(s))
 	}
-	garlicHostBytes, err := garlicBase64Encoding().DecodeString(s)
+	garlicHostBytes, err := garlicBase64Encoding.DecodeString(s)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to decode base64 i2p addr: %s %s", s, err)
 	}
 
-	bytes := []byte{}
-	bytes = append(bytes, garlicHostBytes...)
-
-	return bytes, nil
+	return garlicHostBytes, nil
 }
 
 func garlic64BtS(b []byte) (string, error) {
-	addr := garlicBase64Encoding().EncodeToString(b)
+    if len(b) < 386 {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to validate garlic addr: %s not an i2p base64 address. len: %d\n", b, len(b))
+	}
+	addr := garlicBase64Encoding.EncodeToString(b)
 	return addr, nil
 }
 
@@ -244,14 +242,6 @@ func garlicValidate(b []byte) error {
 	if len(b) < 386 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to validate garlic addr: %s not an i2p base64 address. len: %d\n", b, len(b))
 	}
-	s, err := garlic64BtS(b)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to decode base64 i2p addr: %s %s", s, err)
-	}
-	_, err = garlicBase64Encoding().DecodeString(s)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to decode base64 i2p addr: %s %s", s, err)
-	}
 	return nil
 }