diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/jsonerror/jsonerror.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/jsonerror/jsonerror.go
index b50759a6c..0cc432a97 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/jsonerror/jsonerror.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/jsonerror/jsonerror.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package jsonerror
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/matrix-org/util"
 )
 
@@ -64,12 +65,6 @@ func UnknownToken(msg string) *MatrixError {
 	return &MatrixError{"M_UNKNOWN_TOKEN", msg}
 }
 
-// InvalidSync is an error when the client tries to hit /sync with an invalid
-// ?since= parameter.
-func InvalidSync(msg string) *MatrixError {
-	return &MatrixError{"M_BAD_SYNC", msg}
-}
-
 // LimitExceededError is a rate-limiting error.
 type LimitExceededError struct {
 	MatrixError
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/sync/requestpool.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/sync/requestpool.go
index 83370cd66..051e86636 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/sync/requestpool.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/clientapi/sync/requestpool.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request) util.JSONRespons
 	if err != nil {
 		return util.JSONResponse{
 			Code: 400,
-			JSON: jsonerror.InvalidSync(err.Error()),
+			JSON: jsonerror.Unknown(err.Error()),
 		}
 	}
 	timeout := getTimeout(req.URL.Query().Get("timeout"))
@@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ func (rp *RequestPool) OnIncomingSyncRequest(req *http.Request) util.JSONRespons
 }
 
 // OnNewEvent is called when a new event is received from the room server. Must only be
-// called from a single goroutine, or else the current position in the stream may be
-// set incorrectly as it is blindly clobbered.
+// called from a single goroutine, to avoid races between updates which could set the
+// current position in the stream incorrectly.
 func (rp *RequestPool) OnNewEvent(ev *gomatrixserverlib.Event, pos syncStreamPosition) {
 	// update the current position in a guard and then notify all /sync streams
 	rp.cond.L.Lock()
diff --git a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/consumers.go b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/consumers.go
index bf7a64145..caeeabca4 100644
--- a/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/consumers.go
+++ b/src/github.com/matrix-org/dendrite/common/consumers.go
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ func (c *ContinualConsumer) Start() error {
 	}
 	for _, offset := range storedOffsets {
 		// We've already processed events from this partition so advance the offset to where we got to.
-		// Offsets are provided with each message, so if we use the same offset on startup then we'll
-		// get the same message a 2nd time, so increment 1 to indicate the next offset.
+		// ConsumePartition will start streaming from the message with the given offset (inclusive),
+		// so increment 1 to avoid getting the same message a second time.
 		offsets[offset.Partition] = 1 + offset.Offset
 	}